From Jo Harman to Joanne Shaw Taylor, there’s been a slew of inspiring female blues artists coming to the fore of late, and now Heather Crosse, one third of the current Ruf Records Girls With Guitars line-up, here douses more fuel onto that burgeoning fire.
Thematically, Groovin’ At The Crosse Roads clings to the traditional blues formula like a needy child to its mother’s leg, which makes it all a little predictable at times.
Her sultry and honest writing does, however, fall on your ears effortlessly; you’d expect to hear tones like this snaking out of the corner of a smoky downtown whiskey bar. Lyrical clichés on My Man Called Me may hinder the quality of an otherwise solid song but the guitars on Walkin’ In Their Shoes, which echo Crosse’s rasping vocals, and the rolling piano of Damn Your Eyes make amends for that. An enjoyable listen, but hardly a show-stopper.
