Music Reviews
Candye Kane

Candye Kane

Come Out Swingin’

Vizztone Label Group

Think you got the blues? You ain’t got nothing on Candye Kane. From a life on the streets of Los Angeles surviving on food stamps, battling drug use, and doing nude modeling, she got hooked up with folks such as Dwight Yoakum and Dave Alvin, and started a singing career that has led to 13 albums and numerous awards. She wrote a stage play about her life – The Toughest Girl Alive – and the title is no exaggeration. Diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2007 and suffering thru a relapse in 2012, she hasn’t given up, is still on the road with her producer, guitarist, and partner Laura Chavez, and has a new album, Come Out Swingin’.

The combo of Kane’s voice and Chavez’s guitar is a gritty, jumpin’ blues that never lets up for a moment. From “I’m the Reason You Drink” to “Barbed Wire Mouth,” Kane pulls no punches, and the entire CD is a testament to Kane’s drive and spunk. Fans of Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Etta James, and the likes of Sippie Wallace will eat this stuff up. The record ends with the infectious “Marijuana Boogie,” and Kane and Chavez are in top form throughout.

Amy Winehouse once said “Every bad situation is a blues song waiting to happen.” Candye Kane and Laura Chavez prove that commandingly on Come Out Swingin’. Long may you reign, Candye Kane!

Candye Kane: http://www.candyekane.com


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