DANI WILDE
SHINE
RUF RECORDS 1163
SHINE–SOME KINDA CRAZY–MISS YOU–HOW DO YOU DO IT–RED BLOODED WOMAN–DON’T GIVE UP ON ME–I DON’T EVEN CARE–ABANDONED CHILD–BORN TO LOVE HIM–WHERE BLUE BEGINS–BIG BROWN EYES
British blueswoman Dani Wilde burst on the scene in 2008 with her Ruf debut, “Heal My Blues,” and her performances in Ruf Records’ “Blues Caravan” tour. Currently, she’s a part of Ruf’s “Girls With Guitars” tour, includng Cassie Taylor and Samantha Fish. And, she has just released her sophomore set for Ruf, “Shine,” and, as the title implies, she indeed shines on these nine originals and two covers. All the time that Dani has invested in her recent tours and her work in-studio has given her a maturity well beyond her youth, and it shows not only in her playing, but in her songwriting, too.
Dani also possesses a uniquely-sultry voice that contemporary listeners may compare to Joss Stone. She kicks off the set with cool acoustic guitar and harp from little brother Will “Harmonica” Wilde on the title cut, a tale of love and its various temptations. Dani plays the woman lookin’ for love and just how to get it in two red-hot exercises in Chicago blues, “Some Kinda Crazy” and “Red-Blooded Woman,” with a sweet solo from Will’s harp on the latter. She also plays the “one alone at the gas station” when love has gone awry on “Don’t Give Up On Me.”
We had three favorites, too. Brother Will adds the unmistakable riff that defines Dani’s take on “Miss You,” and makes it irresistible. She channels her inner Aretha on the soulful “How Do You Do It,” which deals with a woman torn between a husband and a lover. And, a brilliant minor-key tale of the plight of children of the world growing up with no parents is the poignant “Abandoned Child.”
With “Shine,” Dani Wilde has shown that she is a force to be reckoned with in the current blues scene. Give this one a listen and….ENJOY!! Until next time…Don and Sheryl Crow, Nashville Blues Society.
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