Rory Block – Last Fair Deal (2003)

Hello readers! Today I will guide you through a genre I knew almost nothing about but with Last Fair Deal I could discover a new promise land of music. Rory Block is a well respected guitarist who started her career in early 60's as a 15 year old teenage girl. Next 20 years she was trying to land a success and finally, after signing with a professional record label in 1981, she made her mark. She was always inspired by classical blues guitarists and Mississippi Delta blues style (another thing I had no clue that exists!). Her record from 2003 was 24th(sic!) album, first with independent label Telarc. So with no further ado, let me share with you my experience.

The album, from the start to the end, is a magical duo: Rory’s vocal and her guitar. It starts with “Gone Again”, where her extremely high guitar technique caught my attention. What is cool, it’s not polished like a billion-sales records but instead it has a soul, something that is very high regarded in my eyes. Lively tempo takes in a groove you will enjoy. I’ve never been in part of the world where this music is well know but I can imagine, siting myself in a bar, having a beer and listening this tune with a smile on my face. What is very characteristic for Rory Black’s style of play is that she excessive uses a guitar slide. I knew that this accessory can add a nice feel to a song, but I was thinking about slide more like an add-on but “Last fair Deal” is full of this slide and I was so surprised how good it sounds with this genre. In “Last Fair Deal Gone Down” you will find some dancing vibe. It’s like early American style, which you could hear in early saloons full of cowboys, gunslingers and whiskey. Definitely my favourite song on this album. After listening this a couple of times, lyrics stay in my head and as soon as a chorus jumps in I was singing all along. It is a right moment to talk about Rory Block’s vocal. Her voice is pretty low for a woman but fit nicely with this genre. Also her accent adds authenticity to the tracks. What is also worth mentioning, her vocal kept my ears through all the songs, it won’t bore you, even with balladesque type of songs (it also doesn’t sound like there is a much of effects added to her vocal during production, which is a plus). Lyrics are about all the subjects of life: there are songs about love, relationship, religion. She sings about all the valuable things in life. “Cry Out Loud” has one of the most lovely chorus that I’ve heard in a long time. The harmonised vocals create a beautiful layer that builds almost magical moment (still have chills when thinking about it). I could dive into old school blues with “Travelling Riverside Blues”. It has this vibe I could record from Western movies (I close my eyes and with this tune I see a lonesome cowboy and his horse travelling through steps of Louisiana). “Old Friends” is the last song on this album. It is a great summary of what I heard through 50 minutes of Last Fair Deal. Beautiful song about friends and family. Every stroke on the guitar was still resounding in my ears when sound slowly was fading away.

Conclusion: Rory Block brought her heart and soul to this album. There is no doubt about it. I love when you can hear these values in every note, every second in every track. I’m glad that Last Fair Deal was my gateway on the road to a country blues music. I was a bit sceptic but Rory’s vocal and guitar showed me that there is nothing to fear about. And she was right! If you are looking for something you don’t hear everyday in radio but has all the passion and love inside, this album is definitely for you!