All the songs played in Chicago blues clubs don't necessarily have 12 bars. Many of Chicago's blues singers are also R&B and/or rock singers, and
Zora Young is a prime example. Based in Chi-Town but originally from Mississippi, the expressive singer provides an enjoyable, if derivative, blues/soul/rock mix on her 2000 date
Learned My Lesson.
Young is far from a blues purist -- while "My Man's an Undertaker" and
Young originals like the humorous "Pity Party" are straight-up urban blues, she confidently detours into soul and rock territory on "Girl Friend" (another
Young original) and sweaty performances of
Ike & Tina Turner's "Nutbush City Limits" and
Chuck Berry's "Living in the U.S.A." Meanwhile,
Young draws heavily on her gospel background on a passionate version of
Percy Mayfield's "Please Send Me Someone to Love." No one will accuse
Young of being an innovator; drawing on such influences as
Koko Taylor and
Etta James, she is quite derivative. But a CD doesn't have to be groundbreaking to be likable, and
Learned My Lesson is a CD that's easy to like. ~ Alex Henderson