'Niecy Keeps on Keepin' On!
Shirley fan | 09/08/1998
(4 out of 5 stars)
""Smoking in Bed" is the latest and one of the best from one of the most underrated, yet hardest working "blues mamas" in the business. Since switching exclusively to the blues when she joined Malaco in 1983, LaSalle has faithfully cranked out ten exceptional albums, each one designed to convey two precise messages. 1) Denise likes her lovin' any way she can get it. and 2) Her man is no good and she wants you to know it. And she is at her best when she manages to drive home both themes in the same song. The title cut of her current CD starts out predictably with a fire engine siren, but you soon realize that the song has nothing to do with fire safety, as Denise growls along saluting her man on his mattress-burning abilities. As the CD continues, she emphasizes her love for the blues with fun-loving songs such as "Juke Joint Woman" and "Blues Party Tonight", before her mood changes again as she criticizes her lover, saying "If I Don't Holler (You Ain't Doing it Right)." Then in typical Denise style, she wraps it up full blast with a rollicking good time titled "Dirty Old Woman," which pretty much summarizes this very entertaining blues stylist. Maybe not her best Malaco recording , but proof enough that she plans to keep on singing the blues for a long time to come. Go girl!"