Karen Lovely

Ten Miles Of Bad Road
Self-Produced

If she hasn’t already proven herself as one of the premier vocalists in today’s contemporary blues scene, give a listen to Karen Lovely’s new release Ten Miles Of Bad Road and you will need no further convincing. This recording showcases her powerful voice backed by a dynamic cast of some of the very best studio musicians to be found on the planet. And now, after nearly two years of production with Grammy Award winning producer Tony Braunagel, she has released an album that is more than worth the wait, with strong songwriting and performances throughout.

The songs presented on Ten Miles Of Bad Road are superbly crafted, showing such emotion in each of their delivery. It doesn’t matter if it’s a jumping number or one that touches the heart, you can clearly feel the mood behind Karen’s thoughts. She has taken a major role in the creation of the songs, with her signature behind the works on nine of the thirteen tracks. She found help and inspiration from friends like Dave Fleschner and Curtis Salgado at home, further taken to their heights by the guidance of Braunagel, Johnny Lee Schell and guitarist/songwriter Alan Mirikitani who sadly passed away before seeing the end of the project.

The cast behind Karen and the music on the disc is unbelievably stellar. The core band consists of guitarist Johnny Lee Schell, bassist James “Hutch” Hutchinson, keyboardist Jim Pugh  and drummer Braunagel. Each of these musicians have deep backgrounds playing with the absolute best in the industry, far too many people to mention for each. Other notable artists include Alan Mirikitani, Kim Wilson, Vyasa Dodson and Reggie McBride. It is a dream line-up and they brought exactly what Karen was looking for to the table.

I am in love with all of the songs on the album, but for me it is always Karen’s heartfelt, slow blues and ballads that grab me right off the cuff. It took little effort to make me want to hear “I Want To Love You,” “I’m Over Goodbye,” “Cross The Water” and “Always Love You.” These type of songs show off the beauty of Karen’s voice. And if those numbers weren’t enough, the more quick-paced pieces like “Company Graveyard,” “Ignorance,” and “Frank The Spank” all seal the fact that Karen is the true package of today’s exemplary entertainer.

Ten Miles Of Bad Road again proves that Karen Lovely is that blues force to reckon with. How to describe the overall satisfaction behind this disc? One word. WOW! More than worth the long wait.

Total Time: 50:31

Low Road / Company Graveyard / A Better Place / Ignorance / Cross The Water / Ten Miles Of Bad Road / I Want To Love You / You Stole My Heart / Always Love You / Blues Valentine / Save Me / I’m Over Goodbye / Frank The Spank