Marla BB

If you haven't heard much from Marla BB lately, an electrifying fixture on the New York City blues scene for just over a decade, that's because the raven-haired now Valley-based blues belter spent the early part of the year "at long last blazing a trail of the hottest blues imaginable across western Canada" (Red Deer Express, Alberta), then picked up and headed off on a moment's notice to Tokyo, where her primal screams, kittenish purring and sassy-mama style - combined with her third-degree-black-belt martial-arts prowess - helped to re-ignite the Japanese economy... Marla BB's energy ought to be on the grid! - Daily Hampshire Gazette, Northampton MA

And when James Montgomery started howling on harp with Tommy Hambridge on drums, Chris Vachon and the horns of Roomful of Blues blaring and Marla BB on vocals, the place was rockin' and it didn't stop till the sun came up! - New England Blues Spectrum

Marla BB has quite a distinctive voice. She sounds like a cross between an old-time blues singer (à la Bessie Smith) and an opera singer. A somewhat odd combination for sure, BB's latest full-length release, Destiny Meets Devil At The Crossroads is an equally odd combination of songs. The singer spans a number of genres and styles, including traditional blues (the title track), a seven minute sung meditation mantra (Om Namah Shivayah), and even a cover of You Can't Always Get What You Want. You certainly can't knock Marla BB for being unadventurous, my favorite tracks on the album are perhaps the more traditional blues rock numbers. I also enjoyed I Want, in which BB effectively captures the paradox that is modern love with a simple catchy hook: 'The one I want is one I can't have / The one I have is one I want, too / I want to, I want to, I want to be in love with you.' That's the kind of confusion we can all relate to. - Local Buzz, Holyoke MA

Marla BB is an eclectic vocalist and songwriter. Her latest album, Destiny Meets Devil At The Crossroads, starts out with a sonic recreation of what a child hears before she is born: Heartbeat. Then there are two renditions of the spiritual chant Om Namah Shivaya. Marla BB covers the Rolling Stones' You Can't Always Get What You Want in a raucous fashion. Vindication is an instrumental funk tune with grooving bass lines from Kevin Sharpe and shredding guitar licks by Luther H. Johnson. I Want is a catchy pop tune that features Bill Sims, Jr. on lap steel guitar. - Living Blues Magazine, USA

OOooooooo she's so cool! Marla BB sings with every emotion that the lyrics tenderly scream for, all with the heated passion of the diva she really is! - PoetMan Records

By surrounding herself with the best blues players, Marla BB travels down the path and joins in the choir of great blues ladies. She can rock you gently or roll you for all you have, she is hot even when she cools down. With her incredible vocal range her style is unmistakable, Marla BB burns with the blues! - The Arkansan, Jonesboro AR

The only woman I know who got me into the Tokyo Tower in 17 years. Marla BB rocked the KudanKaikan in Tokyo! "Ed-Man"

Marla BB's sassy yet soulful vocals either live or pre-recorded emit a feeling and force that seem to enhance her performing confidence. If you haven't heard this talented woman, I highly recommend you check her out! Her CD Mercy! was recorded live at C.H.I.C.A.G.O. Blues in New York City... - Blues Alive, Tokyo, JAPAN

BB was influenced by the likes of Mamie Smith, Bessie Smith, and Ma Rainey. 'I'm an entertainer, like the classic blues queens,' she said. 'They would work the band and work the audience. And that's my tradition - somebody says "What do you play?" I play the house!' - Blues Revue Magazine, USA

This lady has the talent to take the world-wide blues scene by storm with a superb voice that ranges from an orgasmic whisper to a full throated roar often over the space of just a few syllables! - Blues & Rhythm-The Gospel Truth, ENGLAND

Some years ago she stopped studying voice and developed her own sound, which, judging from her latest EP, has matured into a jazzy, racy, sizzling sound, like Janis Joplin singing classical jazz. Her style is clear and bold, akin to a big city jazz house of the Roaring '20s rather than a Mississippi Delta roadhouse of the '30s. - The Daily Mississippian, Oxford MS