Artist:     Tiffany Pollack & Eric Johanson

Album:     Blues in My Blood

Label:     Nola Blue

Release Date:     2.15.2019

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Tiffany Pollack and Eric Johanson, a captivating duo, will touch you with their deep, gutsy feel for the blues. Pollack, an acclaimed New Orleans jazz singer and Eric Johanson, former lead guitarist for Cyrille Neville, have collaborated on an album of originals and searing covers. Both are Louisiana natives who have separately built successful careers, combining their talents to make a heart-wrenching recording. Their sound cuts to the bone, whether it’s Pollack’s emotive vocals or Johanson’s piercing slide guitar.

They met when Pollack was reunited with her biological family at age 25, only to learn that she and Johanson were cousins and third-generation members of a musical family with a quite a pedigree. At the urging of the cousins’ mothers to work together, they joined for a personal family project to celebrate their love for the blues. Before we get to the music, realize that Pollack performs regularly in the city, singing primarily jazz with The Dapper Dandies and her own band, Tiffany Pollack & Co. She also gets plenty of session work, as does Johanson, who has been guitarist for Tab Benoit, JJ Grey & Mofro, Eric Lindell, Mike Zito, Anders Osborne, and the Neville Brothers, among others.

They reveal stunning power in the opening title track, as Pollack tells her life story and discovery of the origin of her musical gifts in a haunting, Southern Gothic style. Johanson takes the vocal lead on the lover’s lament “Memories to Forget” as Johnny Sansone’s harmonica plays off his vocal before he also solos. Although Johanson’s slide is heard on the title track, it’s Pollack’s story that keeps one engaged. On “Keep It Simple” Johanson’s incendiary slide guitar is impossible to ignore as Pollack sings in a tune that opens somewhat like Robert Johnson’s “Walkin’ Blues” before it morphs into mostly funk. All three tunes were written by some combination of Pollack, Johanson and Grammy-winning producer Jack Miele, who took charge of these sessions at The Music Shed Studios.

The original “Michael” is a sorrowful ballad about a fallen soldier, one that Pollack renders authentically, as she once worked in the mortuary business. It’s as if she’s singing at a service, accompanied only by Johanson’s guitar before the 504 horns join in New Orleans Jazz Funeral Procession tradition. The duo then duets style on the politically-charged original blues rocking “Diamonds in the Crown.”

The covers are gems too, a rather surprising set of four that are all very different in style. They deliver a lilting, country feel to “No Expectations” from the Rolling Stones’ Beggar’s Banquet album, sparked by Johanson’s tasteful acoustic slide. Pollack courageously takes on Nina Simone’s “Do I Move You?” and, although no one quite sounds like Nina, Pollack comes oh-so-close. Then, in a similarly daring move, she puts her spin on Joni Mitchell’s classic, “River,” bringing a jazzy phrasing to the tune and displaying remarkable vocal range. The closing track is Pete Seeger’s “If I Had a Hammer,” with a slow tempo to accent the lyrics. Two other originals, the introspective “Slave of Tomorrow,” which serves up some southern rock, and the soulful, B.B. King-styled “Get Lost with Me,” has an especially gutsy guitar solo from Johanson, who also takes the lead vocal. Guest John Gros provides sturdy support on the B3 and keys for about half of the tunes.

Pollack and Johanson’s chemistry is palpable throughout with strong songs, terrific vocals, and heartfelt passion. Let’s hope this is just the beginning of an enduring partnership. It marks another in a string of especially strong records on the Nola Blue label, folks that gave us Frank Bey, Bennie Turner/Cash McCall and now this auspicious debut from Tiffany Pollack and Eric Johanson.

—Jim Hynes