Sue Foley breaks out with her first electric live album, Sue Foley Live in Austin, Vol. 1, on Guitar Woman Records. Drawing on the inspiration from her early heroes, Foley branches out on this new release and delivers some hard-hitting blues rock tracks. It’s real and it’s tough as nails. This is Sue at the top of her game. It’s a set of deeply rockin’ blues recorded at the legendary Austin, Texas nightspot, The Continental Club. This album features eleven tracks, songs culled mostly from Sue’s vast catalog of 14 albums, going all the way back to 1992’s Young Girl Blues. The set has all the immediacy and excitement of a live performance, the ecstatic crowd responding to the band’s deep Texas blues energy and giving back in kind. Sue is at the peak of her powers, working with the tight dynamics of her compact band (Sue Foley – guitar & vocals, Corey Keller - drums, Jon Penner – bass, and guitarist Derek O’Brien guesting on selected tracks) to deliver the magic.
The first single, “New Used Car,” released September 3, 2023, is the title track of her 2006 album. It hasn’t mellowed over the years; it’s only gotten tougher. As Sue puts it: “'New Used Car' is stripped down, bare bones, with no bells and whistles – just the boys and me having fun. And, like a good blues rocker, it's meant to be played loud, especially while driving."
The second single, the Howlin’ Wolf/Willie Dixon classic “Howlin For My Darlin”, drops October 13, 2023, and the guitar playing evokes the joyful spirit of the exuberant Hubert Sumlin. Sue explains: "'Howlin for My Darlin' is one of my favorite Howlin' Wolf tunes. We stripped it down to its bones for an all out, two guitar throw down between me and Austin's legendary Texas blues stringer, Derek O'Brien. At one point you can hear me shout ‘O'Brien!’ cause I knew he was gonna try and win the round. That was too much fun."
Sue Foley Live in Austin, Vol. 1 drops on October 27, 2023, and it will surely cause more crowding on the shelves that already display Foley’s many Austin Music Awards, Blues Music Awards (from the Blues Foundation in Memphis, TN), as well as JUNO and Maple Blues Awards (from her native Canada).
WHAT THE MEDIA HAS TO SAY...
"Sue Foley has a way of making the blues explode from the bandstand, no matter the song or style. She imbues everything she plays with the living truth.” –Bill Bentley, Americana Highways
“Lively it is!...Straight from the hip and from the heart groovaliciousness. Rock on!” –Billy F Gibbons, ZZ TOP
"Sue and her band nail it at the legendary Continental Club in Austin. I've been a fan for years and am proud of her Canadian/Austin roots. Like many of the greats, she continues to grow and has found her own style building on the 'blues guitar woman' tag.” –Holger Petersen – CBC/ CKUA Radio, Author, Music Aficionado
“Canada’s greatest blues guitarist.” –Brad Wheeler, Toronto Globe and Mail
“Foley has a killer voice, an impossibly alluring blend of sex and innocence to go with those blazing guitar chops.” –Nick Cristiano, Philadelphia Inquirer
“I’ve been a Sue Foley fanatic for years. When Sue releases something new, my tail is already wagging! Foley Followers needed a ‘live’ release—It’s finally here! And damn, it sounds incredible. This is the way Sue Foley needs to be heard—Live, Loud ‘n Proud!” –Cornel Bogdan, Host of “Tangled Up In Blues,” Cumulus Media, Inc.
Sue Foley Live in Austin Vol 1 – Track Listing and Credits
1: Introduction by Steve Wertheimer (00:29)
2: New Used Car (3:47) (Sue Foley, Mechanicsville Music SOCAN/ASCAP)
3: Walkin’ Home (3:22) (Sue Foley, Robert Grant, Mechanicsville Music SOCAN/ASCAP)
4: Highwayside (4:03) (Sue Foley, Mechanicsville Music SOCAN/ASCAP)
5: Howlin For My Darlin (4:59) (Willie Dixon, Chester Burnett, Hoochie Coochie Music, Arc Music BMI)
6: Queen Bee (4:19) (James Moore, Embassy Music Corp, BMI)
7: Hooked On Love (aka Lucky Lou) (4:07) (Jodi Williams, ARC Music, BMI)
8: Positively 4th Street (5:25) (Bob Dylan, Sony Music Entertainment)
9: Me and My Chauffeur Blues (4:27) (Ernest Lawler, Songs of Universal Inc., Wabash Music Company, BMI)
10: Better (4:52) (Sue Foley, Mechanicsville Music, SOCAN/ASCAP)
11: High Roller (5:01) (Richard Alan Nielsen, Tom Petersson, Robin W Zander, Adult Music, Screen Gems-EMI Music Inc., BMI, SESAC)
Recorded Live at The Continental Club, Austin, TX,
May 19, 2023
Produced by Mike Flanigin
Featuring:
Sue Foley - Guitar, Vocals
Jon Penner - Bass
Corey Keller - Drums
Derek O'Brien – Guitar
Angela Miller – Background Vocals, Tambourine
Lauren Cervantes – Background Vocals
