Album Notes

GoGirlsMusic.com calls Unbound "a must-have for every blues/rock fan," saying "M.J. Baby & The Last Word pour their heart and soul into every song," while music journalist Kristi Singer observes "M.J. Baby & The Last Word brings soulful roots-rock with more jazz appeal than most 'rock' bands today can truthfully dish out."

Unbound traverses a wide emotional range, spanning from the uncanny "Insomnia," slow blues "Cold Town," and introspective "The Grand Scheme" to hard-edged grooves like "Shades of Brown" and "Never Go Back." Many of the songs on Unbound describe a kind of wanderlust: being on the road, observing the terrain that's passing by. It's also about breaking out, cutting loose from past and beginning anew.

Sensual. Intuitive. Intellectual. Spiritual. Melinda Joy Rothouse is a singer-songwriter/bass player whose songs interweave poetic lyrics (many originally written as stand-alone poems) with bass and melody lines that draw from a variety of genres. Born in D.C., she grew up in the Midwest and has lived in New York City, San Francisco, North Carolina, Philadelphia, and New Orleans before migrating to Austin after Katrina. She recorded and released her debut CD of original songs in New Orleans during the summer of 2004 with her band, M.J. Baby & The Last Word. Currently performing as a solo artist, she also collaborates with Hannah Williams and Tanya Winch in Austin.