Send Me No Flowers reviewed by Rick Davis

Send Me No Flowers

Connie Lush

Wolf Records

www.connielush.com

11 Tracks

Connie Lush is one of the finest blues singers to come out of the United Kingdom in recent years. Voted Best UK Female Vocalist by the readers of Blues in Britain five different years places her in an elite group of blues artists. In France, she won European Singer of the Year beating all the of the competition in the French Blues Trophies awards for 2002. Connie has one of the most incredible blues voices you will ever hear. Her powerful vocals are the UK's answer to a combination of Etta James and Tina Turner.

 Her new CD Send Me No Flowers is also a testimony to her talent as both a singer and songwriter. She wrote or co-wrote six of the eleven cuts on the CD. Joining Connie on her latest studio album are Terry Harris on bass, Peter Wade on guitar, Nick Skorecki on Keys, and Mikhael Weizman on drums. The album opens with a slow Doc Pomus tune "Lonely Avenue" featuring superb slide guitar solos by Peter Wade backing the explosive vocals of Lush. Her powerful vocals and Wade's slide guitar continue with a song written by Connie "Morning Blues." She continues with another one of her tunes "Crying Won't Help You" this time with a soulful, sultry voice demonstrating the versatility of  her repertoire. Her third self-penned song, the title track "Send Me No Flowers," really rocks! "Take The Stars" written by both Wade and Lush is a slow acoustic tune with features guitar solos also showcasing Nick Skorecki on the keyboard. The CD continues with a rockin' gospel "Jesus On The Mainline" and moves to the deep soulful blues tune "I Could Have Had Religion." This powerful blues band would outperform the competition on the Lush/Harris tune "Queen." They follow up with another slow, deeply soulful Mize/Allen tune "(You Keep Me) Hangin On." The next tune is a traditional almost New Orleans style gospel tune "Nobody's Fault." This collection of superb music concludes with a mysterious, haunting tune written by Lush and Skorecki "Yeh Yeh I Know You."

I found Connie Lush & The Bluesshouter highly entertaining on their CD Send Me No Flowers. Here is one for your blues collection. We could only hope for a blues festival performance here in the United States.

Reviewed by Rick Davis