The heart and soul of this disc is the voice of Kara Maguire. Most of the tunes are upbeat contemporary 12 bar blues, the kind we love to hear live in a small club. The backing band supports Kara well, basically letting her lead the show.
You’ve gotta love the blues- they’re honest and tell it like it is. On “Let it Ride” she sings,
I just wanna make love tonight

Listen here daddy, I got one thing to say

I’ll find another man, the second you go away

Maybe a new lover, maybe your best friend

I don’t care, whoever wants to go to bed

I don’t want to play house with every fool I meet

Let it Ride

I just want to make love tonight
How many guys would kill to meet the woman in this tune? There are two slower tunes on the disc. The first one, “Nobody’s Girl” could have been left off the CD, but the second one “I Tried” is a beautiful tune and shows what a talented singer Kara is and how she is able to also handle songs outside of contemporary blues, showing off the singing skill from her theater days. “Stranded” follows, which has much more of a rock feel to it. Other highlights are “The Blues Ain’t Dead” on which the harp of J.T. Ross shines, and “DNR.” on which she sings,
Don’t call a doctor, don’t call a nurse, you better call a priest first

‘cause the sign on our love reads..Do Not Resuscitate
As I mentioned, on most of the CD it is Kara’s voice that is front and center. On the closing tune, “Drive Me Crazy” however, Kara steps aside a bit and lets the band shine. The band really sounds great and is highlighted on this tune. It is like the end of a concert when the singer stands aside and lets the band show off a bit to finish things up.  I half expected her to announce the band by name during the tune. All in all this is a very enjoyable CD if you like lively contemporary blues and great singing!