Janiva rocks Seattle again

Janiva Magness must love Seattle. Magness played a smokin' show at Jazz Alley in February, and came back to town last Saturday night for a show at Highway 99 Blues Club to celebrate the April 13 release of her new CD, The Devil is an Angel Too on Alligator Records. A packed house enjoyed the hell out of two high-octane sets.

The opening set was devoted to the new record, and there's some marvelous stuff on there. True to the album title there is some naughty stuff on it and some nice tunes, too. Weisenheimer particularly likes Janiva's version of George Jackson's "Slipped, Tripped, and Fell in Love," the Earl Randle song "I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down," the Nick Lowe tune "Homewrecker," a rocking version of Delbert McClinton's "Your Love Made a U-Turn," "Turn Your Heart in My Direction" written by her hubby, Jeff Turmes, and the title track by Julie Miller.

So, I've just called out fully half of the disc. Well, it's a darn fine one, and the record-buying public agrees! The Devil is an Angel Too debuted at #3 on the Billboard Blues chart, #1 on iTunes blues albums, #2 on the Blues & Roots chart, and is presently #16 on Amazon. This was a release PARTY in every sense of the word!

The second set was great, too, with favorites like "Fool Me Again," "You Were Never Mine," and the Koko Taylor tribute "Wang Dang Doodle."

L-R Janiva Magness, my Sweetie, the official scorer, and
Weisenheimer after Janiva's show at Highway 99 April 17.

Magness is touring with a kick-ass band: Zach Zunis on guitar, Gary Davenport on bass, Jim Alfredson on keyboards, and Matt Tecu on drums. The Highway 99 date kicked off their tour. They play in Gulfport, Mississippi tomorrow, and will spend the rest of April and the first half of May in the South. Magness next hits the Northwest in July. She'll play the Waterfront Blues Festival in Portland on July 4, and the Mt. Baker Blues Festival in Bellingham on July 31.

Magness is a three-time winner of the Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year Award from the Blues Foundation, an honor she's up for again this year, and is the 2009 B.B. King Entertainer of the Year. Go see her if you can. Follow Janiva on Facebook and track the tour on her website, which my Sweetie and her team put together!