Nashville-based singer/songwriter Marleah JoAnn can’t hide her Chicago roots. They ooze out of every sultry note. As a songwriter, Marleah’s previous work–along with co-collaborators Klaus Luchs and Shay Watson–has been featured on CBS’s “The Young and The Restless.” She has performed all over Nashville with a wide variety of talented musicians and loves expanding her musical reach by experimenting with all different genres. Her album Without You is a blend of “alternative soulful blues-rock”, which is a fitting description for the six songs that feature Marleah JoAnn’s deep-toned smoldering voice set in a backdrop of steamy guitar by Luchs, groovy bass by Saul Zonana, tight drumming by Pete Abbott, harmonic keyboards by Rob Arthur, and the retro background vocals of Maureen Murphy and Lilly Winwood.
The album opens with the title track “Without You” which had a bluesy angst that was punctuated perfectly by the old-school background vocal method of recording three voices on one microphone. The depth and dimension to Marleah JoAnn’s voice are her own, but the spirit it possesses is reminiscent of artists like Joan Osborne, Aimee Mann and Annie Lennox. The song is catchy and seductive in a way that’s appealing to all sorts of musical ears.
The second track “Push You Away” had the same enchanting blend of blues and rock with a slightly edgier vibe while “Other Women” was a masterpiece of funky vocal arrangements, sensual guitar, and clever lyrics. Lines like “I’m an animal lover, I never put you on a leash or in a cage” and the playful back and forth between the vocals and the guitar riffs towards the end made this track a whole lot of fun.
You can’t help but think of The Pretenders when you hear “Getting By” which was full of 80’s rock vibes and clear, crisp vocals. “Riptide” starts with a breezy island quality but quickly becomes more and more intense with each verse. The parallel between the lyrics and the instrumental arrangement is subtle but adds so much texture to the sum of the parts. The final track “Never to Return”, written by Klaus Luchs and Benjamin Olson, ends the album strongly with the now signature alternative soulful blues-rock sound. The background vocals help smooth the rough edges into a perfectly round piece of ear candy that goes down smoothly and leaves you wanting more.
Without You is an impressive album from a talented artist. Marleah JoAnn has a voice that you can picture listening to while sipping a martini in a smoky little jazz club, but her artistic vocal arrangements along with direct yet poetic lyrics turn it into so much more. With the help of some wickedly talented musicians, she has delivered an album that takes the grit of rock, the melodic rhythm of jazz and the moodiness of the blues and weaves it all up in a tapestry that is purely Marleah JoAnn.
For more info, visit marleahsmusic.com or check her out at her Without You release show at the 3rd and Lindsley Backstage Lounge in Nashville on July 24th.