Ghalia Vauthier, now using the shortened “Volt” as a surname, the Belgian singer-songwriter/guitarist, is back with another after her acclaimed New Orleans- flavored debut Let the Demons Out. This emerging artist from Brussels splits her time between her native country and the American South. Longing to record in Mississippi’s North Hill Country, Ghalia went to the only studio that made sense – the renowned Zebra Ranch, owned by Luther and Cody Dickinson. As is hill country custom, they made it a party, gathering some of the best blues talent to join Ghalia and her cohorts, bassist Dean Zucchero and guitarist Smokehouse Brown. Cody Dickinson and Cedric Burnside split the drumming duties. Watermelon Slim added his blues harp and vocals, and Lightnin’ Malcolm joined a guitar lineup that included Ghalia and Brown.
Ghalia has steadily built a fan base as a solo artist and bandleader of two native acts, “Ghalia & The Naphtalines”, a high energy R&B band, and her (all-original) project “Voodoo Casino”, with whom she recorded her first album in 2016. Yet, Ghalia began to really establish herself by busking in the streets of Europe and beginning in 2013, in the states. She began with the familiar musical hotbeds in Chicago, St Louis, Memphis, Nashville, and then in the deeper South – mostly Mississippi and New Orleans. In fact, she became both a musician and fan-favorite n Clarksdale, MS, leading to a spot in the town’s music festivals for the past three consecutive years. In the Spring of 2016, she fell in with New Orleans local legends, Johnny Mastro & Mama’s Boys. When they gave her the opportunity to front the band, the chemistry was palpable, leading to her previous album.
Her music has an engaging pulse that lies somewhere between blues-rock, rockabilly, punk, and straight-ahead rock n’ roll (familiar territory for the Dickinsons) to these eleven, nine of which are original tunes. She says, “Raw and natural…with bleedings, minimal microphones used, a traditional approach with modern influences…I wanted this record to be organic, with hill country influences and the punk, garage and rock n’ roll that I started with. I’m not trying to imitate any style, but letting my songs drive this music.”
If there was a fault to the last album, seemingly addressed here, was that her lyrics were not always easy to understand. Maybe it’s a diction thing but it probably has more to do with her voice which too often ventured into a high-pitched squeal. That’s been righted and turned into an effective waling here. As you’d expect her songs are slightly better too. “Meet You Down the Road,” full of broken images, is a poem about the loss of a loved one. “Drag Me Down” is about never stopping doing what we aim to do. “Squeeze,” fueled by the fiery dual guitars of Brown and Malcolm, is an erotic love song disguised in a playful story. And, perhaps the most provocative one is “Why Don’t You Sell Your Children?” a bitter commentary on greed.
Ghalia sings up a southern tornado, all the while playing slide guitar or dobro. The players all seem to play off her contagious energy. Burnside, Malcolm, Slim, and Dickinson are well-schooled in bringing the thunderous sparks but her guys, Zucchero and Brown, more than hold their own in this explosive setting. Some of the more interesting moments come in the traditional cover “Wade in the Water’ where she duets with Watermelon Slim, backed by Burnside and Malcolm, who along with Slim, solos. Slim sings and blows again on “Drag Me Down” with the same supporting cast.
There’s so much fire here that you won’t need a sip from that flask she is offering on the album cover but the music may stir you up to the point where you’ll want to indulge anyway.
