LaNell – Work It Out

LaNell
Work It Out
Zhana Records 2010
http://www.zhanarecords.com/

LaNell has a new man in her life.

In fact, she sings, he’s the “best man in town.”

And when she calls the one who did her wrong “a no good devil,” she’s not speaking metaphorically. Jesus is her man, and Satan, the no good devil, is out.

This refreshing and delightfully tongue-in-cheek play on the blues theme of the wronged woman is “Satan, I’ve Had Enough” from LaNell’s new CD, Work It Out. One can imagine the singer/songwriter and actor pacing the stage during this selection, an agitated tornado of a woman, full of fury and holy elation.

Another blues-soaked performance, this one of Thomas Dorsey’s “I’m Going To Live the Life I Sing About in My Song,” (abbreviated on the CD to “Live the Life”) is equally animated and powerful, complete with playfully tinkling piano and snarling guitar. The Anderson, South Carolina resident has mastered the gospel blues persona so well that she ought to record an entire CD of Dorsey tracks.

But that’s just one side of LaNell Rice-Rollins, whose star began to rise when her performance on the “Bobby Jones Gospel Explosion” in Florida was televised on BET. LaNell’s always razor-sharp delivery is bright and bouncy on the CD’s radio-friendly track “Stand Up,” smooth and jazzy on “Just When I Needed You Most,” and meditative on the moody “Lord, I Love You More.”  She sings her heart out on the concluding selection, “Keep Me,” a slow, pleading soul-cry for spirit nourishment. 

Other songs on Work It Out contain the casual friendliness of Top 40 hits from the ‘70s and ‘80s. The slower pieces are LaNell’s sweet spot, because she can employ her dramatic skills to “work it out.”

Four of Five Stars

gPod Picks: “Stand Up,” “Live the Life,” “Satan, I’ve Had Enough.”

Reviewed by Bob Marovich for The Black Gospel Blog.