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 Caught in the Carousel "There will be music despite everything"
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Treasa Levasseur
Low Fidelity
Slim Chicken Enterprises
Ready for some Memphis blues? From a Canadian? Treasa Levasseur brings it with Low Fidelity, her second album, which has finally been released in the U.S. This Juno-nominated chanteuse reminds me of Maria Muldaur and Sade, blending old-school blues with modern soul. Funny, angry, sassy, and heartbreaking, Levasseur holds nothing back and makes no excuses. Several tracks express gospel's influence on the blues, including "Help Me Over" and "Amen," the tracks that open and close the album. Levasseur revives the Stax sound with songs like "Stuck in Soulsville" and "Big Fat Mouth." Meanwhile, "Low Fidelity" has the added value of venting a spleen at men who mistake themselves for smooth operators. This album allows Levasseur to display a broad range of songwriting and arranging, where the sweet agony of the "Rest of the Ride" is balanced by the prickly confessional, "Good Ones Never Share," and where the mid-tempo jazz of "Truth Will Set You Free" complements the old-school style of "Give Me Just One." Levasseur brings the oh-so-sexy even as she breaks your heart. She deserves every accolade.
—Lyn Dunagan
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