MIssy Andersen
Music Review: Missy Andersen - Missy Andersen
Blues in Britain
By Gordon Baxter
August 2009
 
Missy Andersen may be largely unfamiliar to most readers, although she did work as a backing singer for festival favorite Earl Thomas for several years. She also started out in her teens recording a rap song under the name of Denyce "Flip" Isaac.

Right from the start, the album makes you sit up and take notice of Andersen's excellent soulful voice, backed up by some terrific keyboard and horns on a great rendition of O.V. Wright's "Ace of Spades". Although the songs often have a real retro sound, it does not sound anachronistic. The choice of covers may not always be very original ("I Can't Stand the Rain", "Tell Mama", and "Little by Little"), but in Andersen's band’s hands everything gets a new lease of life, with "Pack it Up" with its funky intro and great guitar and horns working particularly well.

There are only a couple of originals on offer. The first, "New Feet" has a rather poppy, bluesy, feel, and is made for daytime radio. The second is the much more laid back, down home "Stand Up and Dance" which nicely rounds things off.

Missy Andersen is a terrific soul singer. Whilst it would have been nice to have had more original songs, the arrangements of the covers do help to compensate for it. It is very much a case of quality, rather than quantity, though, as the album only racks up around 32 minutes.

Rating: 9
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