When a new musician’s first release has the fortune to feature a name like Duke Robillard on guitar, that says something all on its own. Somebody like the Duke, who’s spent many a long hour and day shaping his craft, he thinks twice about lending his name to anybody who isn’t strong enough to carry it on his or her own.
Sunny Crownover’s voice is a perfect fit for the type of music that Robillard had in mind, and he wasted little time in lining her up for the project. Introducing Sunny and Her Joy Boys is a sound straight out of a Peter Gunn show, from way back during the days of black and white television. Think a dimly lit, smoky lounge, crowded with people who are winding down after a long day of tough work, white shirts and sport jackets mixed with some blue collars here and there, all there to relax with their favorite music and favorite drinks and favorite company, and you’ve come close to the atmosphere that surrounds you almost from the first note played on this CD. The combo relaxes you from note one, and Sunny’s voice is not simply an empty voice, mouthing the words. It’s a symphony of pleasant, sultry sound and professional interpretation. Close your eyes, and it’d be no surprise if you heard that Ella and Louis were next up on stage.
The Stony Plain label has been coming out with some memorable releases recently, and Sunny Crownover is another link in that chain of solid blues musicians of all ilk. Blues is a deep and wide genre, and there are more types and styles of blues than there are other musical genres. You can have a blood and guts screaming guitar, or you can have a softly strumming and deftly picking one that’s a perfect fit for a quiet jazz lounge that can work on you like the strong, deft fingers of a good masseuse after a long, tense day. That’s the kind of blues that’s represented here.
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