Stacie Collins
Sometimes Ya Gotta
Review By Steven Stone

  You won't find a lot of professional harmonica players in the world. And the number of women harmonica players, well, except for Stacie Collins, I can't think of any. On her third CD Collins demonstrates not only her ability to blow, but also her songwriting, singing, and band-leading chops. The expression "kick ass" features prominently in the promo materials from Ms. Collins' website. Her music is basically Southern blues-rock with a booze-tinged edge. The opening tune, "Hey Mister", kicks off the CD with a straight-ahead boogie beat and a brassy "wall of sound" harmonica. The second tune, another original, "I Won't Do You Like That" slows down the beats per minute, but rocks just as intensely as the first cut – with Don Baird and Eric Borash's sizzling guitars driven by Jimmy Lester's drums and Al Collins punch bass lines.

What separates Stacie Collins' music from the hundreds of Southern Rock bands plying their trade in scores of beer-soaked venues? First, she's a woman playing music that is usually the provenance of hairy guys. Second, her music has more subtlety than mere kick-ass bar-band music. Third, her songwriting is also above average for her chosen genre. No, don't expect her to bare her soul lyrically. Most of the subject matter is cheatin'/lovin'/drinkin', but Collins knows her rock n roll well enough to stray just far enough to keep it fresh. Her melodies are bluesy with ample use of the one, four, and five chords. The final difference is the sound of her voice. Instead of a big ‘ol bullhorn she has a more delicate tool, more like what you'd expect from a country singer such as Alison Moorer. But if you're ready to rock, Stacie Collins is willing and able to rock you hard with her special honky-tonk recipe.

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