MISS BIX AND THE BLUES FIX
FEAT. LESLIE BIXLER
WE DON’T OWN THE BLUES
FOLLOW ME DOWN–SLAVE TO THE GRAVE–IF YOU’RE DOING WHAT I’M THINKING–GOTTA GET OFF THIS RIDE–BLACK WIDOW–VOODOO MAN–CRAZY ‘BOUT YOU–YOU’RE A CHILD–WE DON’T OWN THE BLUES–IT WASN’T ME–BABY COME BACK–ALL THE TIME
Miss Bix is the blues nom de plume of one Leslie Bixler (nee’ Letven). She spent several years on the L. A. scene while her son was growing up, becoming involved in the making of a couple of children’s albums with Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith. After her son grew up, Miss Bix got the itch to study and record some of the history behind the myths of the blues. Take it from us, she went to the best place there is to conduct this study–down at the Crossroads itself, in Clarksdale, MS. Miss Bix spent several months down there, soaking up the local color and learning from the players still active there. The astonishing results are the twelve cuts that reflect the stories we have heard for a lifetime, dealing with tales that have been passed on thru generations. The album is entitled “We Don’t Own The Blues,” and every song is a story in itself.
Anyone who has spent any time at all “down South” knows that dysfunctional love is, for some, a way of life. Our heroine has had enough, tho, for “a body can only endure for so long,” and she’s gettin’ away from the abuse in “Slave To The Grave,” It features slide from Ralph Carter, and a haunting harp from Brian Calway. A shot of bluesy funk finds our girl knowing somethin’ ain’t right, and, “If You’re Doing What I’m Thinking, I’m gonna break down and cry!” The title cut is a tale of two more lovers on the outs, full of secrets and lies, with Miss Bix coming to the wise conclusion that this stuff happens to nearly everyone, and “We Don’t Own The Blues.”
Our favorite was a sultry, torchy, cautionary tale for all you fellows out there with a roving eye. Trust me–SHE KNOWS, and you can’t hide it for long. Yep–she knows there was someone, and “It Wasn’t Me.”
Miss Bix learned her lessons well on her excursion down to the Crossroads. She shares her Southern tales of mojos, hoodoos, voodoos, and truths in the most-excellent “We Don’t Own The Blues.” Until next time…Sheryl and Don Crow, The Nashville Blues And Roots Alliance.
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