LET'S LIVE IT UP!
“Pierre Lacocque’s Mississippi Heat solidifies its reputation as one of the best ensemble … musical forces in the blues. … A convincing slice of 1950’s-leaning electric Chicago [blues]. Mississippi heat’s secret weapon, the sinewy, compelling soulful voice of Inetta Visor, often steals the show on this latest record. [She] melds the intonation and soaring heights of Etta James with the ragged, commanding edge of Koko Taylor. … By constantly stirring the pot with fresh soulful, bluesy ingredients, Pierre Lacocque ensures that Mississippi Heat remains vital.”
– LIVING BLUES MAGAZINE, VOL.41, #3 [2010]
"Few play the harp with the passion of Pierre Lacocque. Combine that with the rest of the band, and you get a blues ensemble that is absolutely scorching right now."
– BUDDY GUY'S LEGENDS' Bluesletter
MAY/JUNE 2010 (CHICAGO, IL)
“EXCELLENT!” - BLUES IN BRITAIN (MAGAZINE)
FRAN LESLIE, EDITOR (LONDON, ENGLAND)
“FOUR STARS … **** FANTASTICO!”
- VINCENTE ZUMEL, RADIO PICA 96.6 FM.
LA HORA DEL BLUES (BARCELONA, SPAIN)
“BRAVO!”
-JEAN-JACQUES MILTEAU
LEGENDARY FRENCH HARP PLAYER (PARIS, FRANCE)
“Pierre, this is by far your best CD. It’s FANTASTIC. It should climb to the Number 1 spot easily.”
-JON NORTON
MUSIC DIRECTOR, WGLT RADIO (NORMAL, IL)
“Mississippi Heat offers up another recording of no-nonsense, 1950’s-style Chicago blues that packs quite a punch. This veteran aggregation has a romping, stomping good time blasting through this collection of lively original tunes.
Pierre Lacocque is still on-board as the leader, songwriter and ace harmonica player. The role of lead vocalist goes to Inetta Visor, whose powerful voice and commanding presence invigorate every track she appears on. Kenny Smith on drums and Stephen Howard on bass provide the solid rhythmic foundation. Giles Corey will certainly gain lots of new fans once people get a chance to hear his dynamic guitar playing on this disc. One of the first-call session players in Chicago, Christopher “Hambone” Cameron delights with his contributions on piano and Hammond B-3 organ. Add Carl Weathersby or John Primer on guitar and you have a potent blend of veteran musicians that prove there is still life in the aging tradition.
There are plenty of highlights including the title track, which opens the proceedings with a blast of energy with Visor shouting out this celebration of life as Corey, Weathersby and Lacocque trade solos at a lightning pace. Equally fine is “Peace Train”, with Visor delivering a rousing vocal with gospel intensity supported by Kay Reed, Mae Koen and Vanessa Holmes on backing vocals. Cameron impresses with some superb fills on the organ and Corey adds a short but very tasty solo.
Visor and Cameron co-wrote “She Died From a Broken Heart”, which should receive consideration when it comes time for nominations for song-of-the-year awards. Lacocque’s harp moans and cries in support of Visor’s haunting vocal while Weathersby brings things down to a slow-burn with some exquisite guitar picking. The Chicago Horns - Kenny Anderson on trumpet, Hank Ford on tenor sax, Bill McFarland on trombone and Sam Burkhardt on alto sax - appear on four songs, adding punch to the broken-heart tale “Another Sleepless Night”, that features another outstanding vocal from Visor. They also punctuate the driving tempo on “Don’t Cry For Me”. Weathersby evokes memories of his former boss, Albert King, by adopting the string-bending style and biting tone favored by King on “Been Good to You” and the lone cover on the disc, Sugar Pie DeSanto’s hit “I Want to Know”.
She is only on one cut but Rhonda Preston makes it clear that Visor isn’t the only woman around capable of singing the down-home blues. She manages to wring every bit of emotion she can out of the cheating tale of “Daggers and Tears”. John Primer steps into the spotlight on three tracks - his laidback vocal style offering a nice change of pace to the women. He gives his guitar fret board a serious workout on “Betty Sue” and his original composition, “I Got the News Today”, typifies the Mississippi Heat approach - take a standard blues progression, play it like it’s never been done before and make it fun. The closing tune, “Until We Meet Again” gives Cameron a chance to stretch out on the organ and he takes full advantage of the opportunity, trading licks with Corey and Lacocque at a rapid pace.
This is the total package - great tunes, heartfelt vocals and fine musicianship from start to finish. Pierre Lacocque is the glue that has held this band together for eighteen years and through numerous personal changes. Pierre’s unique and creative approach to playing the harp is the final piece that elevates this recording out of the current pack of blues releases - the perfect antidote for those seeking relief from the onslaught of rock albums masquerading as blues music. Delmark and Mississippi Heat serve up a generous helping of the Chicago style, played with vigor, class - and highly recommended !!”
- BLUES BLAST MAGAZINE
MARK THOMPSON, PRESIDENT
THE CROSSROADS BLUES SOCIETY (ROCKFORD, IL)
“Band founder and terrific harp player Pierre Lacocque wrote 11 of the 14 tracks here, all with a great blues passion and intensity. … [LET’S LIVE IT UP!] is filled with that great Chicago blues tradition.”
–PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE
“Everybody [is] getting a chance to shine, with the deep tone and eloquent phrasings of Pierre's harp leading the charge. … Pierre Lacocque and Mississippi Heat bring an original approach to a classic sound. With his fat-toned harp at the fore, "Let's Live It Up!" is their strongest set to date!”
–NASHVILLE BLUES SOCIETY
SHERYL AND DON CROW
“…terrific modern blues while keeping all the good things about the great old music. It's Mississippi Heat alright, but brought to you straight from the Chicago tradition.”
–JIM WHITE, BLUES NEWS, Rapidshare.org
“Authentic Chicago Blues with the VINTAGE Mississippi sound. LET’S LIVE IT UP is fantastic. FELICIDADES!!!”
–DAVID BOOGIE GIORCELLI
BLUES PIANIST (BARCELONA, SPAIN)
“LET’S LIVE IT UP!” is SPECTACULAR. We all agree that your music is always distinctive and always very, shall we say, "Pierre". From the first to the last -- the lyrics, the order of tunes, the vocalist choices, everything -- and of course, superb harp performance. Very eclectic while remaining true to your blues roots. Wonderful!”
–Norm Lieska & Kyra Semkova
LONG-TIME FANS
“Deep … Really strong … Inetta Visor may just be the strongest female lead singer Mississippi Heat has had, and they had a lot of good ones over the years in Zora Young and Deitra Farr, for instance. … [Let’s Live it Up!] is a celebratory album. … Mississippi Heat as a band is as strong as it has ever been. They have already got me ready for their next set!”
– THE BLUE FILE - JONNY MEISTER
WXPN NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO (PHILADELPHIA)
“This is a great recording. Usually when I audition a disc for airplay, I mark tracks that I would play on the air. With this disc I thoroughly enjoyed every track.”
WORT-FM -- TWO FOR THE BLUES
Art SCHUNA (MADISON, WI)
Formed in 1991, Mississippi Heat has become one of the more popular modern blues bands out of Chicago. Led by harmonica great Pierre Lacocque, this high-energy ensemble has released nine recordings with a rotating cast of top-notch talent. On Let's Live it Up!, the group delivers a rocking set with the help of earthy vocalist Inetta Visor and guitar greats John Primer and Carl Weathersby.
The bulk of the disc's material is written by Lacocque and covers all the essential blues grooves, from straight-forward shuffle ("Steadfast, Loyal, and True," "Daggers & Spears") and up-tempo jump ("Jumpin' in Chi-Town," "Betty Sue"), to minor-key rockers ("She Died From a Broken Heart," "Been Good To You"). An inspired cover of Sugar Pie DeSanto's "I Want to Know," featuring Weathersby's Albert King -inspired plucking, settles into a relaxed blues mambo supported by Kenny Smith's soulful drumming and bassist Stephen Howard.
Guitarist Primer, whose impressive resume includes stints with Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon, plays and sings with a swinging intensity on three tracks, including his own "I Got Some News Today." As exceptional as Primer and Weathersby are, the bulk of the guitar soloing on the disc comes courtesy of Giles Corey, whose style is unique and somewhat more edgy.
Chris "Hambone" Cameron provides solid support on organ and piano, occasionally stepping into the spotlight, as on the opening title track, playing clever unison lines with Lacocque. With the addition of a strong four-piece horn section on a handful of tracks, Let's Live it Up! turns out to be nothing short of a raucous, well-conceived good time.
–ALLABOUTJAZZ.COM, JOHN BARRON
FRENCH REVIEWS
“BRAVO!”
JEAN-JACQUES MILTEAU (France)
LEGENDARY FRENCH HARP PLAYER
“Bonjour, Pierre ! Bien reçu ton nouveau CD ce matin.
Cette fois, tu as fait très fort !!!!!!!!!!!! Tes CD's sont d'habitude très bons. Celui-ci est EXCELLENT !!!!!! Je l'ai déjà écouté plusieurs fois et cette impression se confirme à chaque écoute. Félicitations à Mississippi Heat !!!
–GEORGES LEMAIRE
BLUES CRITIC (BELGIUM)
georges@bluebridge-network.com
"… le CD est très bon, félicitations!!!"
–RENE MOISAN
PRODUCTIONS BROS (MONTREAL, QUEBEC)
"J’ai encore réécouté le CD, c’est vraiment - the cream of the crop"
–ROBERT SACRE
BLUES HISTORIAN, AUTHOR, AND BLUES CRITIC (BELGIUM)
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