The band — Heine Andersen (guitars), Asmus Jensen (drums), Soren Bojgaard (bass) and Jeppe Jull (Hammond organ) with the help of guests Robbie Smith and Bob Mathes on trumpet and saxophone respectively — do a great job of creating the illusion of being loose while actually being incredibly tight. They push the beat forward hard and fast when required, but also slow it right down to play slow and rich so that you feel each note in your bones. And that's not because they've got the bass turned up so high that you can pulverize tempered steel with it, but because they play with such feeling that you can't help but allow it to seep beneath the surface of your skin.
Of course the band can be as hot as you like but if the singer can't keep up her end of the deal, then there's not much sense in listening. Missy Andersen not only lives up to her obligations as a singer; she blows them out of the water. One moment she's growling out some charged-up funk lyrics and the next her voice is aching from the blues. Even more impressive is the breadth of her range as she's able to climb and descend the scale with equal ease so that no matter where on it she's at, she's not showing any strain whatsoever.
Back in the day when people like Aretha Franklin were tearing up the soul charts with their songs, most singers had received their start in church choirs. Things are different now, and Andersen had to make due with singing at home to her parent's collection of soul, R&B, and classic jazz and blues albums. Her first gigs were actually as a rapper, but she soon started earning her chops as a session vocalist. In the 1990's she moved to the West Coast where she joined the Juke Joint Jezebelles, a quartet that sang gospel, blues, and soul and provided back-up vocals for blues performer Earl Thomas.
So even though Missy Andersen is her first recording, she's had years of experience within which she's developed not only her voice and style, but also the ability to handle the demands of singing a multitude of genres. Oftentimes people who have made a career out of being a back-up singer aren't successful in making the switch to lead. While they may have wonderful voices, they lack the presence required to front a band. It's obvious from listening to Andersen that she's not only paid her dues singing for others; she learned enough to be a front person of power and passion.
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