What happens when a Delta-bred blues pianist finds herself in a London studio? If you're Eden Brent, you make the record of a lifetime, Getaway Blues. Tracked remarkably over two short days and backed by top British session pros including in-demand guitarist Rob Updegraff (Jamie Cullum), the nine-song album is Brent's favorite to date, one that places her firmly among the finest pianists and songwriters in the blues world and beyond. Highlights include the hook heavy, boogie-woogie brilliance of opening title track, Getaway Blues, the gorgeous country-soul ballad, You on My Mind, the double-entendre blast of Gas Pumping Man, the Mose Allison-worthy Watch the World Go By, and the N'awlins-channeling, 88s-rollicking vibe of What You Want. Her first studio album of new material since 2014's Jigsaw Heart, Getaway Blues opts for the immediate setting of keyboards, guitar, bass, and drums, musical arrangements that can travel, to quote Brent, and be tour ready. Yet in scaling back, Brent's nuanced vocals step up, embracing the emotional truths at the heart of each song. Great performances abound, with compositions as evocative of her Delta upbringing as Jesse Winchester's once were but with the added sass and humor of Memphis Minnie and vocal persuasion of the finest blues belters. Brent's husband, British jazz trombonist and arranger Bob Dowell, produced the album while Grammy-feted engineer Matt Ross-Spang gave the record a sharp, intimate mix that befitted the down-to-earth sessions. Decades into a career topped by four acclaimed albums for Yellow Dog Records, Brent - the onetime protégé and touring partner of Greenville, Mississippi, boogie-woogie blues master, Abie Boogaloo Ames - is now setting her own standard for others to follow. The resulting musical journey is testament to all that makes the award-winning musician shine as an artist. Road-tested and roots-perfected in taste, chops, and songcraft, Getaway Blues is Brent at her irrepressible best.
