Artist:     Rory Block

Album:     Prove It On Me

Label:     Stony Plain Records

Release Date:     03.27.2020  

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Prove It On Me is the second album in Rory Block’s series honoring female blues artists. The first release, 2018’s A Woman’s Soul, was a tribute to the great Bessie Smith, but Prove It On Me digs deeper into the roots of American blues to call attention to lesser-known artists who have influenced Rory since her earliest days.

“It has been my life-long passion to breathe new life into great old songs that might otherwise almost never be heard on commercial formats today,” she says. Rory is a powerhouse vocalist and guitar player. For Prove It On Me, she also plays bass, drums and various percussions. Even blues aficionados will discover new songs and artists here. Rory covers Memphis Minnie for the title track and Ma Rainey’s “In My Girlish Days,” but the remainder of the tracks are deep cuts from lesser-known artists such as Helen Humes, Madlyn Davis, Arizona Dranes and Rosetta Howard. Many of the songs have the raw quality of early blues — “sexy” and “strident” Rory calls them. In addition to honoring her predecessors, she includes one of her own compositions, “Eagles,” a mournful ballad that showcases her slide guitar skills.

Rory Block has released 36 albums and won numerous blues awards throughout her career. Her own music is clearly rooted in sounds like these but adds elements of Western swing with a more contemporary feel. Kudos to her for taking time out to further awareness of artists who might otherwise fade from our collective memory. “These were women on the cutting edge, who created new and extraordinary styles and changed the face of music forever,” Rory says. “I just can’t let us forget.”

—Lou Montesano