Read My Lips
Austin's Lou Ann Barton displays her sassy blowtorch blues style splendidly on her third recording, on which she receives assistance from friends and former bandmates such asKim Wilson,David "Fathead" Newman, and current duet partnerJimmie Vaughan(Do You Get the Blues). But Barton, a past member of bothRoomful of Bluesand an early edition ofStevie Ray Vaughan's band, doesn't really need much help; her amazingly rich, blues-drenched voice is a musical force of nature. Whether using it on a sizzling remake ofSlim Harpo's "Shake Your Hips," digging deep intoIrma Thomas's Crescent City classic ballad "It's Raining," or energizing "High Time We Went," Barton saturates her sound with raw emotion and unerring blues sensibilities. Even semi-novelty numbers likeLazy Lester's bayou funk standard "Sugar Coated Love" and the tough-woman anthem "You Can Have My Husband" somehow seem more substantial. She further accentuates her no-nonsense image with superlative takes onBarbara Lynn's "You'll Lose a Good Thing" and renegade country legendWanda Jackson's "Mean, Mean Man."--Michael Point