Artist: Candye Kane
Title: Superhero
Website: http://www.candyekane.com
Style: Blues/ AAA
Label: Delta Groove Records
Rating: 9 out of 10
By Senior Writer C.W. Ross
Like her unusual name Candye Kane has lead a life that’s ripe with subject matter for creating good songs. She was raised in a dysfunctional working class family, was a teenage mother, her past includes a successful career in the adult entertainment industry, and last but most notable is the fact that she’s a survivor of pancreatic cancer.
Kane has won several San Diego Music Awards, along with being a 2008 nominee for a National Blues Foundation Award for, ‘Best Blues Contemporary Female.’
Superhero, Kane’s 9th release, is filled with songs that offer up a fighting spirit of overcoming whatever life throws at you. The songs found on this release are filled with messages that revolve around, love, hope and empowerment.
Things get off to a fast start with the title track, “Superhero.” This up-tempo song is filled with passionate lyrics dealing with being a fighter when times get tough, if you get knocked down stand right back up and keep going. Besides the great vocals found on it you’ll also find nice guitar and saxophone parts in the song.
While this release is blues based it isn’t afraid to mix in other elements like, swing, and lounge jazz into the songs. Track-2, “Hey! Toughen Up!”, is a good example of this with its up swing style tempo. The song deals with not letting go of your dreams.
Some of the other highlight tracks include, “Ik Hou Van Je ( I Love You),” a light and lively jazzy song showing that love is a universal emotion found all around the world. “Who’s Been Sleeping in My Bed,” has a nice sound that’s accented by the Hammond B-3 parts found in it. As you probably guessed from the song title it deals with someone cheating in love.
The blues get a more gritty edge for the Willie Dixon penned song, “You Need Love,” that has a nice rhythmic, roots, earthy sound found on it that I really enjoyed.
“I Like ‘Em Stacked Like That,” is different in that it features added male vocals by Mitch Kashmar to go along with Kanes vocals. The song talks about how everyone has their own ideas on just what true beauty is in a person that attracts them to each other.
“Till You Go Too Far,” is a gritty blues song that talks about pushing the envelope. The fact that if you never push the boundaries how will you know where the boundary line is really found.
“You Can’t Stop Me From Loving You,” is another gritty blues song that deals with unreturned love. “Throw It in the Trash Can Love,” is an upbeat song filled with nice saxophone and drums, along with interesting baritone guitar work.
“I’m Gonna Be Just Fine,” is an a capella number that last just 1-minute, but this song is the one where Kane really opens up and lets her softer emotions out, her overcoming cancer survivor spirit, as she sings about living to grow old and get white hair and bouncing grand babies on her knees.
Besides the great vocals of Kane’s that take many different forms in the songs, I also have to give a mention to the great guitar work from Laura Chavez that’s also found on Superhero, Chavez also co-wrote several of the songs and co-produced this release along with Kane
Superhero features 15 tracks that last for just under 1 full hour so you get a lot of bang for your buck. If you’re looking for some really good blues based music then you need to pick up this new release from Candye Kane.
