The Commercial Appeal, 495 Union Ave., Memphis, Tenn., 38103. This column was published Dec. 19, 1998

RED HOT

By Bill Ellis

A Good Man Is Hard to Find

Di Anne Price

Self-released

Four stars

Stride piano has a name in this town and it's Di Anne Price. Not only can she roll the keys with punch and second-nature authority, she sings with raspy yet urbane tones - a voice that sounds like it's smoked one cigarette shy of the whole pack - which fit this barrelhouse music to a T. Her stellar backup band makes this session even tastier, since where else will you find sax pro Jim Spake, bassist Tim Goodwin and drummer Tom Lonardo trading their sophisticated licks on disc? Like her previous cassette-only release, "Wild Women," Price leads the ensemble with finesse and a full range of expression, be it the Dixieland strut of I Love Being Here With You or the playful, calypso beat of Fishin' in the Sea of Matrimony. And standards like Fever don't suffer from familiarity, they set a Memphis standard. Considering the rainbow of riches inside, this was one album cover that deserved to be printed in color.

The Memphis Flyer Issue #514 December 17-23, 1998

Music Notes

edited by Mark Jordan

New Stuff In The Bins

We’ve gotten real behind on our new local releases. So, just in time for your Christmas list consideration, we’re going to play catch-up for the next few weeks. If some of these titles have already been out awhile, forgive us.

Kicking things off, however, is the hot-off-the-presses new release from blues mama Di Anne Price, A Good Man Is Hard To Find. Backed by her band the Boyfriends –composed of names from the A-list of Memphis sidemen, including Jim Spake and Tim Goodwin – Price wraps her smokey voice around 15 blues standards and propels them along with her moody barrelhouse piano playing. There are plenty of superior versions of familiar tunes here – from the old R&B chestnut “Fever” to an evocative take on “Why Don’t You Do Right” that will put you right in the juke joint –making this a good disc for both the seasoned and novice blues listener.

Dateline Memphis, December 15-31, 1998

By Dave Hall

Three stars

It's easy to see Di Anne Price's genuine affection for the blues. With a respectful, traditional flair, Price's recent recording A Good Man is Hard To Find accurately maps Ms. Price's passion.

It doesn't hurt that the vocalist/pianist has assembled the most capable and distinguished group of Memphis musicians possible - the sturdy rhythm section of bassist Tim Goodwin and drummer Tom Lonardo offers formidable support for the record's 15 selections. Peerless saxophonist Jim Spake sounds the opening signature on "Hallelujah, I Love Him So," and carries much of the instrumental focus for the remainder of A Good Man Is Hard To Find.

Price smears jazzy, barroom piano across all of the CD's songs, which drift in character between traditional standards ("Makin' Whoopee"), luxuriously sparce R&B ("Fever"), and torchy blues ("Someone Else Is Steppin' In"). But the performer's greatest asset is that the team she's assembled on A Good Man... portrays the material in a classy, affectionate manner.

Although Memphis-bound tourists may consider the record a souvenir, area listeners will appreciate the legitimacy of Price's talents. With this CD in pocket, the jangly blues piano of modern-day Beale Street can echo on the home stereos across the Mid-South.