Tore Up from the Floor Up

by Zora Young

Overview

With her mix of blues, soul, and rock, plus the just tangible presence of her native Mississippi gospel background, Zora Young can be a powerful performer when the material is there. On the best cuts from Tore Up from the Floor Up, her third album and second for Delmark, she shows a kind of hard-earned wisdom and an assurance in her vocals that rises well above mere shouting, and tracks like the moody, dynamic "Toxic" and the romping title tune (both of which are Young originals) show her to be a solid songwriter as well. She also turns in fine readings on a pair of covers, turning atmospheric on Muddy Waters' "Two Trains Running" and giving B.B. King's "I'm Gonna Do the Same Thing They Did to Me" a saucy, determined sheen. Her take on O.V. Wright's "Ace of Spades" is surprisingly by the numbers, though, and while she certainly doesn't do a disservice to Tony Joe White's "Rainy Night in Georgia," it's a song that has been done to death and no singer on earth could possibly find a new way to approach it. The end result of all of this is an album that has some wonderful highs (the opener, "Love of Mine," simply soars and rocks) but also too many tracks that lack immediacy. It's worth noting, though, that Young's originals more than hold their own here, and that bodes well, because when her singing and writing intersect, sparks fly. ~ Steve Leggett

Product Details

Release Date:	11/22/2005
Label:	Delmark
UPC:	0038153078423
Rank:	128804

Tracks

1. Love of Mine
2. Go Ahead and Take Him
3. I'm Gonna Do the Same Thing They Did to Me
4. Toxic
5. Til the Fat Lady Sings
6. Slowly
7. Ace of Spades
8. Rainy Night in Georgia
9. Tore up From the Floor Up
10. Medley
11. Handy Man
12. Two Trains Running
13. Interview

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Zora Young   Primary Artist,Vocals
Kerman Frazier   Drums
Hank Ford   Sax (Tenor)
Kenny Anderson   Trumpet
Scott Walker   Guitar
Willie Henderson   Sax (Baritone)
Bobby Dirninger   Piano,Keyboards,Guitar (Acoustic)
Lee "Mookie" Cain   Bass
Pete Allen   Guitar

Technical Credits

Pete Allen   Arranger
David Whiteis   Liner Notes
ForDzine   Design
Marc PoKempner   Photography
Muddy Waters   Composer
Steve Wagner   Mixing,Engineer,Producer,Mastering,Album Supervision
B.B. King   Composer
Don Robey   Composer
Dennis Walker   Composer
Zora Young   Composer
Robert G. Koester   Producer,Album Supervision
Buddy Johnson   Composer
Kenny Anderson   Horn Arrangements
Tony Joe White   Composer