Denise LaSalle getting yet another "Best of" collection

[daviddesper]

Our girl Miss Denise has a few diehard fans on here, of which I am one, and today I learned that there is about to be yet another collection released of her material, but at least this one will have some real merit to it.

First of all, last year Ecko released a CD of what they considered her "best" from the time she spent with them. In my opinion, that was nothing to get excited about it, since nothing she did for them rose above mediocre in my opinion. [[Their fault, not hers.)

Then just last week, an import label released what should be a fine 26-track collection that showcases the best of her years on Westbound. My copy of that is due in any day now.

So when I received a message today about a "new Denise LaSalle" I naturally assumed they meant that one. But no, Malaco is about to release a "Greatest Hits" from her time with them, and it will be out on the 16th.

There have been other packages by her, most of which have been European releases, and one in particular [[the My Toot Toot Anthology) was appalling in terms of its track selection. Don't even get me started on just how totally UN-REPRESENTATIVE that project was!

But this upcoming one truly does capture the absolute best songs from her tenure with Malaco. In fact, if there happen to be readers out there who are unfamiliar with her, this upcoming release would be a great introduction. Sadly it is only listed as having 12 tracks, whereas I personally would have preferred about a hundred and 12, but it will still be a great collection.

So I am most excited about this and will pick it up in a heartbeat. Who cares if I already have four or five copies of every song one place or another........But the part that worries me is this.......does all this attention to past material mean that there may not ever be anything new by her released in the future?

I know she is in her mid 70s now, but she still performs all over the place and I would like to think she could still deliver another quality studio project or two before she retires. So about it Heikki, you are always the Denise expert on here....please tell us that she still has some gas in her tank!

[heikki]

Hi David!

That's a good question. I'll get into it soon.

Best regards
Heikki

[Kamasu_Jr]

"Lord, whose shirt is this I got on? Where did I put my shoes...?" I love Denise LaSalle. A lot of her recent gigs have been close to home, Jackson and Memphis, TN. - where she can sing all of those dirty blues songs I love.

[marv2]

I love Denise LaSalle! Here's my favorite:

[daviddesper]

Marv:

That was of course her biggest hit. But she got to be a lot more fun when she wrote some of her racier stuff. For example, "Your Husband is Cheating On Us" is one of the most clever songs she ever did, and it is featured on this new collection.

By the way, I ordered mine today from Import CDs, which had it on sale for something like $8.89. Thanks to the person who tipped me off to that website recently. That is where I also got my copies of the Four Tops and Martha 50-year anniversary collections.

[Kamasu_Jr]

The track list could have been larger. I can't find It's Lying Time Again on disc.

[heikki]

Hi David!

I just talked to Denise a while ago. Uppermost, we both were grieving over the passing of George Jackson. He and Denise were good friends for many, many years. [[My own tribute with earlier interviews with George will soon appear on our website).

Denise is recording her new album and expects it to be ready in September. It's her own project, and after finishing it she'll start shopping for a distributor. So it's not necessarily on Malaco. But it'll come out this year, hopefully.

Best regards
Heikki

[imnokid]

lying time
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kQw85Lz1xc

[Kamasu_Jr]

lying time
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kQw85Lz1xc

Thanks. I like the raunchier side of Denise LaSalle. The Westbound stuff is ok, but she was at her best on Malaco, WRITING much of HER OWN MATERIAL.

[daviddesper]

Kamasu:

You are sooooooooo right. In fact she is just a good a songwriter as she is a singer.

Heikki:

Thanks for the great news about the new material. Too bad about it maybe not being on Malaco. Did they ever get their studio rebuilt after the tornado?

[Kamasu_Jr]

Denise always had a hand in writing her own material. During the Westbound era she seemed to often be channeling Bettye Swann, but the songs were much better than Bettye ever got. As Denise got older and her voice deepened and mellowed, she came into her own at Malaco - and the times changed where she could get bolder, sassier and more candid in how she said things.

[heikki]

Hi David!

They certainly have rebuilt the Malaco studio. Here's what the director Burton Doss told me: "It is beautiful. We have already had several sessions. The acoustics are amazing, and they have added cool lightning in the studio to give each session a special feel."

Best regards
Heikki

[daviddesper]

More good news.....Denise is apparently planning to remain active at least into 2014. I say that because I saw an ad for a blues cruise scheduled for late January of next year and she is listed as one of the featured performers.

Thanks Heikki for the good news about the Malaco studio. Now while you are on a hot streak, I have another assignment for you. See what you can find out about E C Scott. Her website has not been updated since November and when it was changed then, a note was put on it saying that her "new CD" would be released in April. Well here we are almost finished with April and so far no signs of any new CD. If one is indeed coming out, it will be her first since 2004, which is far too long between releases for anyone. So please see what you can find out.

[heikki]

Hi David!

E C Scott seems to be active in Facebook. There you could ask her directly. It'd be a good question, because I didn't see any mention of a new CD there either.

Best regards
Heikki

[Kamasu_Jr]

Still the queen...kicking ass and taking names.