Vanessa
Collier Rocks The Blues At The Stationery Factory In Dalton, Massachusetts
November 23, 2019
November 23, 2019
It was another great night at the
Stationery Factory to get people warmed up for the Holiday season. Vanessa
Collier performed her blues-rock, jazz, soul, and funk selections for a very
appreciative audience.
In 2019,
she was again nominated in two categories at the Blues
Music Awards; Contemporary
Blues Female Artist of the Year and Instrumental
- Horn for the second
year in a row. On May 9, 2019, she won the Contemporary
Blues Female Artist of the Year.
To her credit and all-around talent, she is being recognized and worthy of the
respect received by the blues community and her peers.
Vanessa
is a fine vocalist and saxophone player and she also plays the steel guitar.
Her killer band is made up of some accomplished players including Charles
Hodges on keyboards, Laura Chavez on guitar, TK Jackson on drums, and Daniel
McKee on bass. They produce a great sound to compliment Vanessa’s strong vocals
and animated saxophone playing.
Vanessa
featured many tracks from her most recent release Honey Up. She did inform the audience that she would be
going back in the studio in January to start recording a new album.
What a
potential audience and fan base can expect from Vanessa is a great combination
of blues-rock, jazz, soul, and funk. That is exactly what she gave us last
night and man was it jam-packed with energy! Notable was her kick-ass
six-string slinger Laura Chavez. She demands your attention the way she plays
and accordingly coaxed many exclamations of respect from the audience during
the evening. I spent a lot of my time looking back and forth between both
ladies.
The songs that hit home where “The Fault Line,” a real
funk-blues workout, “Sweatin’ Like A Pig, Singin’ Like An Angel” and “Love Me
Like A Man.” At one point during the concert, she sat down at the front of the
stage and started playing her sax then in a short period got up and came out
into the audience. She just kept on jamming nonstop, to the delight of everyone
there. That was the highlight of the evening and one amazing display of musical
virtuosity.
There is
no doubt that Vanessa is a hardworking and entertaining individual that finds
it easy to speak to her audience and enjoys telling the stories behind the
song’s origins. This always makes the entire experience more meaningful. I can
only speak from my perspective but judging by the reaction of those in
attendance, they appreciated everything she had to offer as well.
If you
appreciate the blues in a live setting you won’t see a better show than Vanessa
Collier. Her reputation is stellar in the music community and she has carved
her path to success in her way as an indie artist. I have a lot of respect for
individuals like her. It was nice to see her come out to the merch table a few
minutes after the encore and sign her swag. I appreciated it and got a copy of
her CD Honey Up.
I look
forward to her recording coming out in 2020 and would not hesitate to attend
another concert by this fast-rising star.
Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck
November 24, 2019
Founder of:
Review
Provided By MuzikMan.net
