The simple mention of a Louisiana or Texas roadhouse conjures up images of a crowded dancehall filled wall-to-wall with rabid music fans rocking to a hotter-than-hot band playing a smoldering blend of swampy R&B, jumping blues and heart-wrenching ballads. Pianist / vocalist / songwriter Marcia Ball brings that spirit to every concert she plays and every song she records. Her music is mixed with equal parts of simmering soul fervor and two-fisted piano pounding. Between her deeply emotive vocals and her incisive, often poignant songwriting, Ball is in a class by herself. Her groove-laden New Orleans R&B and driving Gulf Coast blues have made her a one-of-a-kind favorite of music fans all over the world.

 

Ball joined the Alligator Records family in 2001 and released the critically acclaimed Presumed Innocent, which took home the 2002 Blues Music Award for "Blues Album Of The Year." Her follow-up, So Many Rivers, was nominated for a Grammy Award, and won the 2004 Blues Music Award for "Contemporary Blues Album Of The Year" as well as the coveted "Contemporary Blues Female Artist Of The Year" award. Her next album (her first-ever live recording), Live! Down The Road, released in 2005, also garnered a Grammy nomination. In 2005, 2006 and 2007 the Blues Music Awards honored Ball as the "Piano Player Of The Year." And now she's back with her first studio album in four years, the perfectly titled Peace, Love & BBQ ("Three of my favorites things," says Ball).

 

Produced by Stephen Bruton, Peace, Love & BBQ finds Marcia Ball at a creative peak, writing or co-writing eight of the thirteen songs on the CD. From deep soul ballads to can't-sit-still party songs to straight-from-the-heart storytelling, the album will delight and inspire Ball's longtime fans and will certainly turn many newcomers into believers. With guests Dr. John, Wayne Toups, Tracy Nelson and Terrance Simien lending a hand, the music moves through a range of emotions, leaving the listener dancing one minute and deeply moved the next.

 

Now, with Peace, Love & BBQ and a long list of high profile tour dates, Ball will bring her blend of Texas roadhouse boogie and Louisiana swamp blues to fans everywhere. Radio and critics continue to sing her praises. No Depression says, "Ball takes her Louisiana R&B and soul from a stomp to the swamp and back. [She brings] dancehall power and majesty and no small amount of sly humor. Her hard-rocking, relentlessly rolling piano and heart-on-sleeve vocals don't take much of a breather. Relentless tunefulness and finely-honed storytelling make for a truly enjoyable ride." With her new CD and her endless touring, Marcia Ball invites all her fans to ride with her as she spreads peace and love - and enjoys plenty of BBQ - all across the world.