Maria Muldaur: Meet Me Where They Play the Blues

Maria Muldaur, that sultry “Midnight at the Oasis” singer of 1974, is in full blues bloom on a dozen compelling tracks. Her sensuous “Soothe Me” sets the pace, sustained by “I Wanna Be Loved,” “All by Myself Alone” and “It Feels Like Rain.” Muldaur’s voice is lusciously ripe on “Blues So Bad” and “Misery and the Blues,” turning flat-out bawdy as befits “It Ain’t the Meat, It’s the Motion.”

A bonus is her electronic duet with Charles Brown, “Gee Baby, Ain’t I Good to You,” captured at his bedside in a nursing home. It was his last recorded work. Muldaur performs with a quintet of varying members, frequently featuring the superlative sounds of tenor saxophonist Jim Rothermel and trumpeter/cornetist Steve Campos. She adds the Promised Land Singers to gospelize “He Don’t Have the Blues Anymore” and “The Promised Land.” A must for blues-lovers.

Originally Published September 1, 1999