Sass Jordan never sounded more focused, confident and inspired than she does on
Rats, which is undeniably her finest album. Some of
Jordan's '80s efforts didn't fully illustrate just how compelling a singer she can be, but that's no problem on
Rats. This CD finds the whiskey-voiced Canadian doing what she does best: tough, gritty, no-nonsense rock & roll with soul/R&B overtones and a heavy dose of blues feeling. Although
Jordan is very much her own person, there's no denying the strong influence
Tina Turner has had on her singing -- and Turner's influence serves
Jordan impressively well on such gutsy, down-and-dirty offerings as "Ugly," "Damaged" and "Pissin' Down." If fact, this is the sort of rockin' album one wishes Turner would have recorded in 1994 (which isn't to say that the slick, glossy pop/rock and pop/R&B Turner provided in the 1990s wasn't enjoyable). With
Jordan,
Steve Salas and
Nick Didia handling the production and studio ace
Michael Wagener doing most of the mixing, all of the pieces fit together perfectly on
Rats. This album was definitely
Jordan's crowning achievement. ~ Alex Henderson