Though blues/rock has traditionally been a male dominated genre, it is by no means a closed shop. I have over the years reviewed works by female artists, though frankly those have been few and far between. Even the more famous blues/rockers of the fairer set have not produced works which have impressed me in their entirety, though several have had a song or two that I enjoyed. Quite honesty, though some were excellent vocalists and others credible guitarists, their works to me lacked guts and did not feature the kind of power, honesty and emotion that has so endeared me to this genre for so many years. With that said, I am privileged to review for you today the latest release

Though "Show You What Love Can Do" is a showcase of Ms. Russell's considerable talents, it is by no means a one-woman show. The band is a classic three piece power trio and includes an impressive rhythm section of Russell's songwriting partner Billi Breland on bass and Coco Roussel on drums. The recording does not include a lot of overdubs or additional studio fluff but this band does not need to resort to gimmicks or electronic wizardry. These are consummate musicians who manage to play with almost reckless abandon at times without ever wandering outside of the bounds of the basic framework of the music. And passion? I can tell you that I have played this CD well above the decibel level generated by any car full of teenagers, complete with rap CD and $5,000 audio system. The energy and emotion levels present in this recording are among the highest I have heard.

The CD opens with the title track, which pretty well tells the story of this band. It features Russell's driving guitar, her passionate and at times sassy vocals, and plenty of rock solid work from the rhythm section. This song, like a lot of the CD, is downright spectacular in spots. And, yes ax addicts, there are both stinging electric guitar breaks as well as a goodly dose of some splendid electric slide, all compliments of the talented Ms. Russell. There are plenty of other high energy blues/rocking tunes on the set, including "Champion", "I'm Not Here To Do What You Please", and "Love Thief", a molten instrumental "Hot Licks", a red hot slow blues song "Long Way Home", and some well conceived acoustic/electric mixed offerings, most notably "Is This The Time", which begins as an acoustic track but features a scorching Dave Meniketti/Gary Moore like electric guitar break. This recording is primarily blues/rock, with a healthy offering of diverse styles of music, as all but one of the 12 tracks is over 5 minutes long with a couple passing the 8 minute mark.

At the time of this review, Teresa Russell is the ONLY woman who has ever qualified for the national finals in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's lead guitar competition. Take a listen to "Show What Love Can Do" and understand why. The CD is available from the fine folks at www.cdbaby.com or via the bands official web site at www.teresarussell.com. Needless to say, this one comes complete with the Bluesrockers.ws "hock your bowling ball for cash to buy it if you have to" recommendation.