Send "Blame Sally " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Popmatters |
 Bay Area quartet Blame Sally play a variety of country-tinged folk rock, or maybe it’s rock-tinged country-folk, that makes good use of each band member’s particular talents. Guitarist Renee Harcourt, drummer Pam Delgado, and pianist Monica Pasqual take turns at lead vocal duties, with bass player/guitarist Jeri Jones contributing to the silky four-part harmonies. This variety results in a generally satisfying blend of sounds and song styles, with a few less-than-compelling missteps. Although a few too many tunes veer into AOR blandness, there is enough skill and uniqueness on display here to catch the attention of many listeners.Album opener “Bird in Hand” is one of the record’s strongest tracks, with Pasqual’s breathy vocals floating above fingerpicked acoustic guitar and a shuffing rhythm. The harmonies, when they arrive, add to the urgency rather than diluting it with saccharine sweetness (which happens on other songs). Twangy guitar and understated fiddle add to the effect, as do slide guitar and subtle keyboard accents on follow-up number “Big Big Bed”. Delgado’s voice is more muscular than Pasqual’s and it suits this song better, at least until the poppy chorus, which unravels much of the tune’s propulsive urgency. And so it goes. The remainder of the album waffles between crunchy, powerful folk-country-rock songs (yay!) and power pop of an inoffensive but generally unmemorable type (boo!). “Living Without You” is an example of the latter—for God’s sake, with those shimmery guitars and velvety harmonies, it sounds like a Go-Go’s reunion, and that’s not a good thing. Watery ballad “Mona Lisa with a Smile” isn’t much better. But then comes along “Pajaros Sin Alos”, with its jittery percussion and accordion undercurrent to make everything all right again. How come half the song is sung in Spanish? Beats me. Sounds good, though....full text |
| Blamesally |
| There’s little argument from anyone to say that music is spiritual. Music expresses our deepest longings, passions, pains and joys. Those who go there find a stronger sense of self and others than without it. Especially gifted musicians are able to bring this sense of spirit to their audience. If there’s anything to that statement, Blame Sally is an excellent example. A band of four women, over 40, skilled instrumentalists, vocalists, writers and performers; they have defied the odds in finding the kind of success reserved for younger artists. With their decade plus of live performances and recordings they have established a legacy of song combining country, folk, rock, Celtic and strains of classical music, which has brought originality together with a roots sensibility and pop accessibility. The way in which each member is an equal contributor is reminiscent of the kind of skill and craftsmanship which made groups like The Band and The Beatles timeless. There is this same ageless, universal quality in the music being made today by Blame Sally. While they are largely acoustically based, they weave in electric instruments and find a drive that is uncommon in the world of folk music. Their latest album, Speeding Ticket and a Valentine, just released on Ninth Street Opus is a consistent collection of song and musical production which brings a strong sense of who these musicians are, to themselves and to each other; their seamless exchange and the kind of instensity captured on this record is the kind usually felt in live performance. With songs that speak to the hardships of life and the joys that are found even in the midst of advsersity, they weave in Beatle-inspired production with sometimes country, sometimes Celtic underlying instrumentation. And through all of the beauty of the lyrics, their layred and crafted harmonies simply enchant with each listen. What is most impressive is how they have become, over the years, in the truest sense, a band. In the interview that follows with writer, vocalist and keyboardist, Monica Pasqual and multi-instrumentalist, lead guitarist, Jeri Jones, there is a sense of unity and commonality which has served to help them develop as a band, as musicians, as artists and most important as human beings who derive a good deal of their own growth from their music. If there's any testament to the healing energy created and supported by love, friendship and music, it is certainly found in the fact that Renee Harcourt, who was once treated for cancer, has now been cancer-free for the last five years. Making this kind of difference, in a weary world such as ours, is the essence of creative spirituality. Along with percussionist, guitarist and vocalist Pam Delgado and vocalist, acoustic and electric guitarist(and sometimes on mando), Renee Harcourt, Blame Sally's latest release may be their finest to date. The band has also been using bassist Rob Strom on the road and also on the new album. Terry: Tell me about the title of the new album. Jeri: It came from one of Renee's songs, "Living Without You." We were driving in Oregon and Renee was speeding. We got pulled over and the officer came to the window and he was probably the most handsome gentleman we'd ever seen. The whole van was on fire. Renee had already written "Living Without You," and we had recorded the song and Renee said, 'that really was a speeding ticket and a valentine!' We knew we had a great album title! Terry: Tell me more about liabilities being assets? Monica: Many of the songs from the albums were written as hard things were happening for the band. There are so many things that can stop you in life. But you can choose how to respond. I think we have the philosophy that with all the obvious things that could stop us as a band, you know, a band of women who are not in our 20's or even in our 30's, but the things that normally would hinder us, instead, inspired us. Renee got cancer and instead of giving up we said, let's do this thing for real. The music, the songs are almost a kind of therapy. Terry: On listening, you really get the feeling that this is a band, not just a collection of writers and musicians. Monica: We've had our differences and there's been strains, but it's never crossed over into the music. I've never doubted the love we've had for each other and we love what we're doing. We get along and we have fun together. Being more mature helps us appreciate it more. Jeri: I think the hard things between us personally have actually made us stronger. We're extremely frank with each other about our musical performance. We can be brutally honest with each other and everybody knows that it's in the spirit of making the band stronger, to help get to our personal best. We all want to make this band as amazing as possible. And we love each other above all. Terry: Your story is counter-intuitive. You're not supposed to be successful in your 40's in the music business. Monica: It's unusual to see four women who all act as front people and side people and there's not a sense of competition. Instead, we hold each other and really love to let each other shine. There's mythologies that we've shown to be untrue. Like competition. We really like to work with each other and support each other. The other myth is that you succeed in the music business in your 20's but the truth is you get better as time passes. Who says you can't be successful and improve into your 40's and 50's? To think you have to be young is just pop culture. Jeri: Yeah, like Honeyboy Edwards is still performing and he's in this late 90's. I'm not sure how old Mavis Staples is but she's great and Roberta Flack. Monica: And Bettye Lavette. So many great musicians just started getting better in their 40's and 50's. Jeri: I feel like I'm just approaching my prime. Monica: It just seems that instrumentally and emotionally everything happened just the way it was supposed happen. We want to make the best music we can and do it as much as we can. Luckily, it's all progressed in a way that allowed a record deal when we were ready to do it full time. Terry: It does seem that you set your egos aside for the band. Moncia: We believe in that. Sure, we fight, but we're usually fighting for a musical idea. The conflict doesn't come from ego. It’s from something that's bigger than ego. And through that we come around to what's better. We have passionate differences. We all come from such different musical backgrounds, but we've grown so much together, we know when someone else's idea is better. ...full text |
| Blurt-online |
| There seems to be an abundance of multi-talented all-female folk groups out there these days, with the Poozies, Red Molly and the Refugees starting a trend that seems to have caught on. Likewise, Blame Sally has a plentiful back catalog they can boast about, although up until now, those efforts have garnered only a modest following at best. #Speeding Ticket and a Valentine might provide a change in their fortunes, but it will likely have more to do with some astute marketing than any real shift in their MO. The songs fall into a generic country/folk mix and, save the sung-in-Spanish entry "Pajaros Sin Alas" and the ever-shifting sound of "Wide Open Spaces," they seem somewhat reticent to go beyond their comfort zone. Nevertheless, a sensual vocal blend and their agile instrumental prowess find them earnest and assertive in terms of parlaying the material. The brittle emotions entrenched in "Bird In Hand" and the suggestive sentiments conveyed through "Countdown" demonstrate a certain subtlety that makes their music all the more seductive. Likewise, the changes in hue - from the sway and glide of "Back in the Saddle" to the perky pace of "Mona Lisa Smile" - add increased interest as well. And if nothing else, there's ample evidence to suggest Blame Sally will always remain a guilt-free encounter....full text |
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