Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
There is an undoubted sense of fascination that is attached to the Mississippi that few other mighty rivers can ever hope to attain, the perception of history it carries, both for ill and for the hope it may have once inspired. The blend of endless creative invention, the necessity in which it has thrived, the blues, the rock and the voices it has carried. Such is the privilege of the Muse that it has been blessed to offer thought on a musician who digs deep into the psyche and their talent; such is the honour that Ghalia offers in her brand new album, Mississippi Blend.
Following on from her superb break out album, Let The Demons Out, Mississippi Blend is a journey that takes the listener further downstream, past the consequences of history and into the present day; one accompanied by the rich haze of musical bourbon and the shadow of the moon as it hits the Delta’s reflexes.
The album opener, Gypsy Lady, more than sets the tone of the recording, it opens the listener’s mind to a wave of thought that hits home, the punches and the beauty come along in equal measure, they merge with ferocity, and dine in the warm glow of serenity. However, there is also the fusion of satire to be felt, the keen observation that once adorned Jonathan Swift’s 1729 A Modest Proposal sees Ghalia Volt tackle 21st Century obsession with lack of morality and social abandonment of integrity and honour in the excellent Why Don’t You Sell Your Children, it is in these
Across the songs Meet You Down The Road, First Time I Died, Wade In The Water, Drag Me Down, I Thought I Told You Not To Tell Them and the aforementioned Why Don’t You Sell Your Children, Ghalia’s attitude to the moment stretches out before her, she grasps the meaning behind the Muse’s insistence and grapples with the soil that is under the fingernails. It is a sense of fortitude to which so many find they cannot contain the swell in their hearts as the sound takes over, that Ghalia succeeds in keeping organic and true to its origins; an honest Mississippi Blend that is heartbreakingly awesome.
Like all the best loved secrets, eventually they find their way into the conscious of others, it doesn’t take long to fathom out that this particular trip to the deep south is full of reveal.
Ghalia releases Mississippi Blend via Ruf Records on September 20th  2019.
Ian D. Hall