Sue Foley - The Ice Queen
Guitarist Foley kicks off her latest album with a funky cut called "Come to Me" where she sings a seductive "come hither" over equally sensual slide guitar playing by guest Charlie Sexton who also joins Foley on the chorus. Foley really rocks out in a stripped-down mode, working with just a drummer and upright bass player on "Run" as apparently by this time she'd had enough of the lover she called for earlier. The album's title cut is a slow and smoky, Delta-informed blues but Foley is back to swinging with "The Lucky Ones" where Jimmie Vaughan guests on guitar and vocals; on the mid-tempo dance number "Fools Gold" Foley duets with Billy F. Gibbons of ZZ Top fame who also plays guitar and harmonica on the cut. Foley uses vocal nuance more than volume on this set of mostly self-penned songs and the result is a refreshing sound that's easy to cuddle up with.

Erin Harpe and the Delta Swingers - Big Road
The latest from Harpe and her three-piece back-up band is a set featuring mostly covers with a few originals mixed in; among the best of the self-penned cuts are the fast-shuffle of "Voodoo Blues" and the super speedy blues blast of "Stop & Listen," an irresistible dance cut that is guaranteed to leave most dancers sated but sweaty. The top cover interpretations include a rollicking take on Mississippi Fred McDowell's "Kokomo Me Baby," a sassy version of Slim Harpo's "Shake Your Hips" that features an extended jam where Harpe romps on the guitar while Matt "Charles" Prozialeck honks up a storm on harmonica, and a subdued version of Randy Newman's "Guilty" that focuses on Harpe's voice and acoustic guitar playing.