Bitter Sweet Blues is an album by the American musician Gaye Adegbalola, released in 1999.[1][2] Recorded for Alligator Records, it was her first solo album.[3]
| Bitter Sweet Blues | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1999 | |||
| Genre | Blues | |||
| Label | Alligator | |||
| Producer | Rory Block | |||
| Gaye Adegbalola chronology | ||||
| ||||
Production edit
The album was produced by Rory Block, who also played slide guitar.[4][5] Adegbalola wrote or cowrote eight of its songs.[6] "Prove It on Me Blues" is a version of the Ma Rainey song.[7] "Images" is a cover of the Nina Simone song.[8] "She Just Wants to Dance" was written by Keb' Mo'.[9] "Need a Little Sugar in My Bowl" is a rendition of the song made famous by Bessie Smith.[10] "Nightmare" deals with child molestation.[11] "Nothing's Changed", cowritten by Block, examines the legacy of the civil rights movement.[12] "Front Door Blues" is about an attempt to come out of the closet.[13] Ysaye Barnwell sings on "Let Go, Let God".[8]
Critical reception edit
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [11] |
| DownBeat |  [14] |
| Edmonton Journal | [12] |
| The Gazette | [8] |
| The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings | [13] |
| The Philadelphia Inquirer | [5] |
| Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | [15] |
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette deemed the album "emotional and heartfelt," writing that "Adegbalola combines her personal and musical life story into an adventurous and enjoyable package."[15] The Edmonton Journal wrote that "Adegbalola's voice—whether cheeky, conversational or even jazzy in parts—cuts to the real thing."[12] The Gazette determined that Bitter Sweet Blues "makes very effective use of timeless blues forms to deliver messages of feminist and African-American empowerment."[8]
The Asbury Park Press noted that "her lyrics are delightfully saucy and sassy, without being raunchy."[16] The Washington Post opined that "even if one agrees with her progressive politics, one might still wince at her heavy-handed approach."[17]
AllMusic concluded that "each song has either humor or power, sometimes both... The only thing that seems incongruous is the mixture of songs with wildly varying moods and topics."[11]
Track listing edit
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "She Just Wants to Dance" | |
| 2. | "Need a Little Sugar in My Bowl" | |
| 3. | "You Don't Have to Take It (Like I Did)" | |
| 4. | "Big Ovaries, Baby" | |
| 5. | "Nothing's Changed" | |
| 6. | "You Really Got a Hold on Me" | |
| 7. | "The Dog Was Here First" | |
| 8. | "Front Door Blues" | |
| 9. | "Only One Truth" | |
| 10. | "Prove It on Me Blues" | |
| 11. | "Jail House Blues" | |
| 12. | "Images" | |
| 13. | "Nightmare" | |
| 14. | "Let Go, Let God" |
References edit
- ^ Harris, Craig (9 Dec 1999). "Gaye Adegbalola Bitter Sweet Blues". The Boston Globe. p. 8:3.
- ^ Iglauer, Bruce; Roberts, Patrick A. (2018). Bitten by the Blues: The Alligator Records Story. University of Chicago Press. p. 320.
- ^ Shepard, T Brooks (Feb–Mar 2000). "Earworthy". American Visions. Vol. 15, no. 1. p. 49.
- ^ Lehoczky, Etelka (Feb 15, 2000). "Gaye Ol' Time". The Advocate. No. 805. p. 44.
- ^ a b Cristiano, Nick (25 Jun 2000). "New from ladies who sing the blues". The Music Report. The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 12.
- ^ "Gaye Adegbalola Biography by Richard Skelly". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ Summers, Claude J. (2004). The Queer Encyclopedia of Music, Dance, & Musical Theater. Cleis Press. p. 200.
- ^ a b c d Regenstreif, Mike (11 Nov 1999). "Blues". The Gazette. p. D15.
- ^ Hall, Jeff (5 Nov 1999). "Even Solo, Gaye Adegbalola Remains an Uppity Blues Woman". Courier-Post. p. 19T.
- ^ Wallace, Bob (19 Feb 2000). "Disc Reviews". The Morning Call. p. A44.
- ^ a b c "Bitter Sweet Blues Review by Stacia Proefrock". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ a b c Levesque, Roger (8 Nov 1999). "Two generations of blues women find the real thing". Edmonton Journal. p. C14.
- ^ a b The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin Books. 2006. p. 2.
- ^ Hadley, Frank-John (Mar 2000). "Gaye Adegbalola: Bitter Sweet Blues". DownBeat. Vol. 67, no. 3. p. 72.
- ^ a b White, Jim (31 Oct 1999). "The Best of a New Batch of Blues Albums". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. G4.
- ^ Skelly, Richard (24 Dec 1999). "Blue Xmas". Asbury Park Press. p. F13.
- ^ Himes, Geoffrey (7 Jan 2000). "Gaye Adegbalola 'Bitter Sweet Blues'". The Washington Post. p. WW15.