E.G. Kight

E.G. Kight - Takin' It Easy - 2004 - Blue South

A.O.O.F.C has covered many albums by great blueswomen like Maria Muldaur, Rory Block, Michelle Wilson, Kyla Brox, Bonnie Raitt, Mary Coughlan, and Maggie Bell, to nane a few. The great Georgia singer-songwriter-guitarist E.G. Kight may not be a name too familiar to you, but like the aforementioned ladies, she is a huge talent, has been singing for quite a few years now, and really deserves more success. "Takin' It Easy" is a wonderful mix of blues, jazz, southern rock and Gospel. Eight of the twelve tracks on the album were solely or partly composed by E.G, and show great songwriting talent. The other four tracks include a terrific cover of "The Duke's" "I Ain't Got Nothin' but the Blues", and a brilliant version of Dickey Betts' (Allman Brothers) "Southbound" where she demonstrates her guitar skills. She has a beautiful gritty blues/soul voice, and her back up band is tremendous, and includes Ann Rabson on piano, and Marshall Tucker's guitarist, Chris Hicks. The great Greg Piccolo blows a mean sax here, also. "Takin' It Easy" is HR by A.O.O.F.C. Do yourself a favour and buy her great "Come into the Blues" album.

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

I'll Believe It When I Feel It - Horner, Eve/Kight, Eg/Horner, Tom
Nothin' Ever Hurt Me - E.G. Kight
I Don't Wanna Start Over - Baggett, Pat/Kight, Eg/Scarce, Normalou
When You Were Mine - Kight, Eg/Horner, Tom
I Ain't Got Nothin' but the Blues - Foten, Larry/Ellington, Duke/George, Don
Can't Blame Nobody but Me - Barnett, Mark-Alan/Muir, Ron
Peach Pickin' Mama - Kight, Eg/Fleming, Richard
Southbound - Dickey Betts
Coming Out of the Pain - E.G. Kight
I Ain't Got No Business Doin' Business Today - Morrison, Danny/Slate, Johnny
Stay Awhile - E.G. Kight
Takin' It Easy - Kight, Eg/Horner, Tom

All tracks performed by E.G. Kight, except "I Don't Wanna Start Over", & "Coming Out of the Pain" by Ann Rabson, & E.G. Kight, and "When You Were Mine" by Greg Piccolo, & E.G. Kight

MUSICIANS

E.G. Kight (Guitar), (Percussion), (Guitar (Rhythm), (Vocals (Background)
Chris Hicks, Roger Allen (Guitar)
Lee Anderson (Guitar), (Slide Guitar)
John Fountain (Bass), (Percussion)
Ann Rabson (Piano)
Greg Piccolo (Sax (Tenor)
Gerald Gillis (Dobro)
Marymal Holmes (Vocals (Background)

REVIEWS

Anyone who can cover Duke Ellington and the Allman Brothers on the same disc and make both fit seamlessly into the whole has something going for them. And former country singer E.G. Kight certainly does it all right on Takin' It Easy. By using a mostly acoustic setting for her songs -- both original and covers -- she puts the emphasis exactly where it should be -- quite squarely on her vocals. As she's often proved since turning to the blues in 1995, she has a remarkably soulful lilt to her voice, and it shines very well on "Wish You Were Here" and "Southbound." She's also developed into an adept writer, whether it's on the relaxed bear-it-all of the title track or "Nothin' Ever Hurt Me." Backed by an excellent band, and with guests who are sometimes surprising (such as Chris Hicks from the Marshall Tucker Band), she's turned in a piece of work that shows her continuing to grow as singer, songwriter, and artist. © Chris Nickson, All Music Guide

"While Kight can spin a compelling narrative with ease, she's at her best on mid-tempo pieces where she carefully develops a song theme and turns the setting into something memorable rather than just another conventional lament or heartbreak tune. Her voice has the same kind of immediacy and tinge that marked Phoebe Snow's early work..."
"Her music has the vocal energy and attractiveness of blues, while the lyrics and narratives can veer in either a folk or country direction. Fortunately, E.G. Kight blends everything into a setting and presentation that's completely her own." © Nashville City Paper

"...artfully added a healthy dose of "attitude" and elements of jazz, southern rock and Gospel to a new, "gone-bluesy" sound..."
"...a dozen songs that emphasize her soulfully vibrant vocals in a more acoustic, instrumentally latticed setting..."
"...an enviable stylistic versatility. Kight's is a voice to be reckoned with, no matter the genre." © Sing Out! Magazine

"Equal measures of sensuality and grit filter through an appealing Southern drawl when this lady sings the blues. There are four imaginative interpretations and eight newly-written, magnificently-arranged songs. Kight writes just wonderfully." "... (Takin' It Easy) seems to suit EG Kight just fine, displaying the multitude of her gifts in the best possible light." © King Biscuit Times Magazine

The Georgia born W.C. Handy nominee strikes a pleasing chord with the new album. E.G. Kight is a gutsy blues-gal and a fine writer. Acoustic blues fans will delight in E.G. Kight's delivery and arrangements. Judicious use of harmonica, dobro, acoustic bass and piano add so much to my enjoyment of her music. Kight is a soulful performer and very easy to like..."
"...You'll enjoy Takin' It Easy." © JazzReview.com

"Takin' It Easy would be best described as blues done graciously, tastefully, majestically and most of all elegantly. EG Kight allows two of her many talents - her voice and her charm- to be highlighted throughout the CD, and the results are nothing short of magnificent." © Mary4music.com

BIO

Blues fans will tell you, there aren't enough good women blues singers around today. But guitarist, singer, and songwriter E.G. Kight, raised as she was in the gospel tradition, is a breath of fresh air in the contemporary blues scene. Kight was born in Dublin, GA, and was raised in a musical family. She began singing around the house as a toddler and she began taking guitar lessons from her grandmother when she was five. Her parents had a wealth of great country music in the house, including albums by Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Eddy Arnold, and others, so she was raised with gospel music in church and mostly country music at home. She began performing country music professionally in junior high school and one night after a show, a fan asked her if she'd ever heard of Koko Taylor. After hearing some of Taylor's singing that night, she knew where her heart would lead her. She knew of B.B. King, Bobby "Blue" Bland, and of course Elvis Presley, but it was Taylor's blues vocal styling that hit Kight like a ton of bricks. She began in earnest to learn all she could about Taylor and other women blues singers, and began working some blues into her country act. She found her lily white audiences hadn't been exposed much to deep blues. She left a secure living playing country music and started over again, reinventing herself as a blues singer. Through the years, Kight has collaborated or shared the stage with a variety of country and blues musicians including George Jones, Jerry Lee Lewis, Conway Twitty, Luther Allison, Taj Mahal, and of course, her idol, Koko Taylor. Taylor even recorded one of Kight's songs, "Fuel to Burn," for her Royal Blue album for the Alligator label. Kight's albums include "Have I Got Blues for You," a 1996 release for her own label, Blue South Records and four other releases: Come into the Blues in 1997, Trouble in 2000, Southern Comfort in 2003, and Takin' It Easy in 2004. Kight recorded her second album, Come into the Blues at the old Capricorn Records studios in Macon, GA. She wanted to pay tribute to Otis Redding a native of Macon, so she recorded "I've Been Loving You Too Long." When the Georgia Music Hall of Fame recognized Redding's contributions to music in 2002, Kight was invited to perform at a ceremony unveiling a bronze statue of Redding. Her last album for her own Blue South label, Takin' It Easy, includes eight original Kight composition and four cover tunes, including her take on Duke Ellington's "I Ain't Got Nothin' But the Blues," and her acoustic take on the Allman Brothers' "Southbound." Guests include Ann Rabson, pianist for Saffire the Uppity Blues Women, guitarist Chris Hicks of the Marshall Tucker Band, and former Roomful of Blues saxophonist Greg Piccolo.Since that night in 1995 when her life changed after she first heard a Koko Taylor album, Kight has racked up an impressive array of awards and encomiums from her peers, including six nominations in the Memphis-based Blues Foundation's Blues Music Awards for contemporary female artist and song of the year. More recently, Long Island-based M.C. Records signed Kight to record for them, and It's Hot in Here was released in the summer of 2008. Eleven of the 12 tracks on her new album were written or co-written by Kight, and the album is a delightful blend of straight-ahead blues and Americana influenced tunes. © Richard Skelly, All Music Guide