Renee Geyer - Blues License (1978)

(Australian 1970-Present)
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Renée Geyer is Australia's most respected and successful soul singer, with a recording career of nearly 30 years. Her career began around 1971 in Sydney, when a girlfriend took her along to the rehearsal of friends who were forming a band. Geyer was encouraged to get up and have a sing and was instantly invited to join as singer. Although she was so shy in the beginning she couldn't face the audience, musicians noticed her, and Geyer was invited to join one more experienced band after another until 1971, when she became part of an ambitious jazz fusion group called Sun. Geyer was still just 19 at the time.

After one album (Sun '72), Sun and Geyer parted company; Geyer eventually found herself part of a group called Mother Earth, still with jazz leanings but also incorporating the soul and R&B Geyer loved and excelled at. With Mother Earth, she started touring and was offered a solo recording contract. She insisted that Mother Earth provide the backings on her first album.

For her second album, the cream of Melbourne musicians were assembled for the sessions. Geyer formed such a strong bond with these musicians, but by the time the 'It's a Man's World' album was released and her powerfully provocative version of the James Brown title song was a big hit, Geyer was ready to throw her lot in with those musicians rather than be a solo performer. Her two solo albums so far had been cover versions or sourced songs, apart from the single "Heading in the Right Direction." The Renée Geyer Band wrote the songs for 1975's 'Ready to Deal' album in the studio and toured extensively.

A live album, 'Really.. Really Love You', followed, based on Geyer's building reputation as a powerfully voiced, raunchy performer, to be followed by an even more powerful blues album called 'Blues License' which featured the brilliant guitar virtuoso Kevin Borich (and his Express). That reputation found its way to America and led to an invitation to record an album in Los Angeles with famed Motown producer Frank Wilson. While the 'Movin' Along' album provided another hit at home, in America 'Stares and Whispers' created confusion. R&B stations loved the record, but didn't know what to do when they discovered Geyer was a white Jewish girl from Australia. For the next few years, Geyer bounced between Australia and America, working in Australia and recording two more albums in America. When 1981's So Lucky album presented her with a huge hit with "Say I Love You" both in Australia and New Zealand, it became necessary to put the American dream aside for two years.

In 1983, Geyer returned to base herself in America permanently, still keeping in touch with her Australasian fans with tours. While in America, Geyer became part of a group called Easy Pieces with former members of the Average White Band. But the album took so long to record, by the time it was finished, the group had never performed and were going their separate ways. Geyer spent several years in America doing session work for Sting (the fade vocal on "We'll Be Together"), Neil Diamond, Jackson Browne, and others, touring with Joe Cocker and Chaka Khan and others, and writing songs.

During one foray back to Australia, Geyer was invited to sing the Paul Kelly song "Foggy Highway" for the soundtrack of a TV series based on the seven deadly sins. Kelly was so impressed by Geyer's version, he offered to produce an album and wrote some of the songs, including the title track, which (alongside "It's a Man's Man's World" has become Geyer's signature song, Difficult Woman). The working relationship with Paul Kelly was such a happy and satisfying one, Geyer decided to base herself back in Australia. With Paul Kelly and Joe Camilleri (Jo Jo Zep, Black Sorrows) producing, she recorded 1999's Sweet Life album.

At the end of 1999, Geyer released her frank life story, Confessions of a Difficult Woman through Harper Collins.( © Ed Nimmervoll, All Music Guide )

'Blues License' is the sixth studio album by Australian musician Renée Geyer. The album was recorded in 1978 and then released in 1979, peakeing at number 41 on the Kent Music Report.

During the 1980's and 1990's, Renee Geyer, the great Australian soul/blues/jazz/R&B singer spent a great deal of time between Australia and America performing with artists like Sting, Chaka Kan, Joe Cocker, Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Brown. She also toured Europe with Joe Cocker and Chaka Khan. She really needs to be more widely heard outside the Australasian area. This album is a good starter if you need a demonstration of Renée's talents. It's a great blues/soul album with backing by the Kevin Borich Express on most tracks. In fact, all the musicians featured here are "top notch."

Blues License may be the least recognised Renee Geyer album, but is her most stylish and consistent album. This is a more bluesy album than most of her normal R&B/soul releases, and there quite a few blues standards on this album, which are brilliantly sung in Renée's easily recognisable voice. Renee has the great "knack" of adopting and adapting tunes to make them her own. If you get a chance, source her 1975 'Ready To Deal' or her 1986 'Renee Live at the Basement' albums, as they are standout efforts in my opinion.

Album Review
Renee has often included the occasional blues song on her albums and in her live sets, but this is her only straight blues release.  Even though it consists of predominantly well known blues standards ie. "The Thrill Is Gone", "Dust My Blues", "Stormy Monday" etc Renee proves to be a natural blues wailer with a real feeling for the genre and is capable of stamping her own style on them. And the way she and Kevin's guitar spark off each other is positively electric.

Kevin plays some blistering guitar work on 5 of the 8 tracks & his Express has the brilliant John Annas on drums and bassist Tim Partridge (Co Caine, Mighty Kong & Foreday Riders) who plays on all tracks along with Renee's regular keyboard man Mal Logan.
On the tracks where Borich is absent, he's more than capably replaced by the superb Tim Piper (Chain, Blackfeather) on 2 tracks and Renee Geyer band regular Mark Punch on one. Add Kerrie Biddell's sublime backing vocals on 2 tracks and Sydney blues legend Ron King (Foreday Riders) playing harp on another and what we have here is one killer blues/rock album. (by Micko at Midoztouch)
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This post consists of FLACs ripped from my 'near mint' vinyl purchased on release and cared for like it was my youngest child. And what a cover, it was an instant love affair when I saw this album in the racks and then turned it over to see my favourite Aussie guitarist supporting her. Full album artwork and label scans (for both RCA and Mushroom releases) are included. Once you've listened to this album, you'll want to play it again and again, trust me. Thanks to Greg Noakes for the publicity shots of Renee featured in this post (Ooh la la)
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Track listing

01 - The Thrill Is Gone – 6.55 (Rick Darnell, Roy Hawkins)
02 - That Did It Babe – 5.15 (Pearl Woods)
03 - Set Me Free – 4.08 (Deadric Malone)
04 - Bellhop Blues – 3.23 (Kevin Borich)
05 - Won't Be Long – 3.48 (J. Leslie McFarland)
06 - Stormy Monday – 6.43 (Aaron "T-Bone" Walker)
07 - Dust My Blues – 3.03 (Elmore James)
08 - Feeling Is Believing – 7.01 (Willie Henderson, Richard Parker)

Renée Geyer: vocals, backing vocals
Mal Logan: keyboards
Bass – Tim Partridge
Drums – John Annus, Steve Hopes

Featuring – Kevin Borich Express 
Guitar – Kevin Borich, Mark Punch
Harp – Ron King (6)
Keyboards – Mal Logan
Vocals – Kerrie Biddell, Renee Geyer

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Renee Geyer FLAC Link (253Mb) New Link 21/12/2019
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