A BluesWax Reprint This review originally ran in BluesWax on March 20, 2006 Sandy Carroll Delta Techno The Delta Summer Breeze The title of this album alone enticed me. The terms "Delta" and "techno" evoke such opposite images. The first being the Mississippi or Arkansas Delta regions along with the farm work that goes on, and the latter being of the young ravers heading out late into the night to dance in a trance. For the sake of why we are here, this album leans more towards the farming communities. Delta Techno brings Sandy Carroll and her husband Jim Gaines together for the first time on an album. Sandy is an excellent songwriter who has had some incredible musicians record her songs...Albert King, Luther Allison, Ana Popovic, and Don McMinn. All but one song here is written by Carroll with some amazing co-writers, Jim Dickinson, James Solberg, Rocky Athas, William Lee Ellis, and, of course, Mr. Gaines. Jim has produced Grammy-winning or nominated albums by legends Albert Collins, Santana, Stevie Ray Vaughan, John Lee Hooker, and many more. He is one of the most sought-after producers in the Blues. This is no Blues Rock affair that Jim normally brings out, but this is a Sandy Carroll album so that even James Solberg's guest appearance is very subtle. As opposite as the two terms are, this album has many contrasting sounds that work well. Sandy can craft songs into the feeling she wants. The feeling overall is a laid-back lazy summer afternoon in the southern heat sippin' on a lemonade, spiked if you like at times. "Toolbox" has some great old-fashioned innuendo; the writing reminds me of the Bo Carter days. The lazy feel continues on "Used to Be" with nice, smooth vocals encouraging the sun to sink into your skin. The background vocals of "Bound for Glory" make you want to get up and sing along with them. The song just has a revitalizing sound with tasteful guitar provided by veteran Evan Leake. On "Nothin' Hurts like a Heart" Carroll's vocals are strong and sincere. Evan Leake and Rocky Athas should be commended on their guitar work throughout this album. Some of the tones that they create fit perfectly with Sandy's voice and the mood being set. These guys all work together very well. The last song is dedicated to the memory of Martin Luther King, and is co-written by William Lee Ellis. The song, "King of the Mountain," is not a sad, melancholy tribute, but a positive, strong dedication to a great man's life work. Sandy sliced the watermelon ripe off the vine and put that sweet taste on this piece of disc (well, vinyl is outdated according to some). The band puts a lot of feel onto this album and it comes across perfectly. The whole production from writing to musicians to packaging is done as they should be. Sandy has done a wonderful job on this release. The teaming with Jim worked well. The chemistry was right on and it all made for a feel good n' blue album. Kyle M. Palarino is a contributing editor at BluesWax

SANDY CARROLL Delta Techno RingoRecords www.ringorecords.net www.sandycarroll.net I did not recognise Sandy’s name but perhaps I should have. I recognised the name of her husband Jim Gaines, producer/ engineer for the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughn, Luther Allison and many others (including this set). More importantly perhaps though, this is no case of her trading on her husband’s reputation. Sandy herself has written fine material for Luther, Albert King and others, and she is a fine pianist and a very distinctive vocalist, as this, her debut set for the Memphis based Ringo label shows extremely well. Guitarists James Solberg and Rocky Athas both guest here (and they are also co-composers - the former with one number, the latter three), but this is no traditional blues – or even blues-rock set – despite the attractive Duane Allman influenced slide playing of Sandy’s own guitarist Evan Leake. The nearest to a traditional blues comes with the closing track ‘King Of The Mountain’, dedicated to Dr. Martin Luther King, and although there are indeed elements of funk, jazz, rock, pop, and the seventies singer-songwriter style in evidence, this is a truly contemporary album in outlook, approach and sound. The rhythm section in particular has a very ‘now’ feel, and to be honest, I can see several modern blues acts plundering material from this set. Get in first and hear these songs as the original composer intended them – and you may find that Sandy Carroll is a very fine artiste in her own right. Norman Darwen

SANDY CARROLL Delta Techno Ringo Records 13 tracks, 55:52 mins. This is first time husband & wife Jim Gaines & Sandy Carroll have collaborated together. Jim one of Blues music’s foremost producer/engineers, while Sandy’s name is better known on the credits of songs recorded by Luther Allison, Albert King & Jim Dickinson. First off the title is an anomaly as what we have I would classify (pigeon-hole if you like) as a white R&B singer covering material that mixes & matches several genres as the album unfolds with a bit of Folk/singer-songwriter stuff slipped in. The opening track has loads to offer with what sounds like Indian tabla along with popish organ adding countrified slide courtesy of ex-Luther Allison alumni James Solberg; with a lazy swaying overall feel. We get a dose of blues via a female’s double entendre, that although not as solid as the opener has some catchy lines. There is a retro feel running throughout this CD that is very 70’s chart orientated in which the only techno traces are the piano/organ lines that sometimes point to more pop-like Vangelis etc than the very Germanic techno players. The rasping sax and Santana-esque beat to “Where Blue Begins” (“Smooth Blues” also) is more bluesy than blues, with B3 imitating an accordion on the gospel fuelled “Bound For Glory” that swings Southern styled. Tim Hinkley’s Spanish guitar bristles over the locked down organ keys in the aching balladry of - “Woman In Me”. A faux reggae back beat with guest Rocky Athas on guitar who adds the only blues element to “No Looking Back”. A lot of what Sandy singing is a bit too melodic to class this as a blues release even when the instrumentation clearly is – think white female 70’s R&B goes chart. Sandy is in the same bag as many female strong accent R&B singers that can mix up their repertoire, though her voice is similar to Mary-Ann Brandon with similarly fine material to work with. Nicely done and ear friendly for those with a more commercial hankering. Billy Hutchinson