Di Anne Price - To Hell With Love Reviews

The Comercial Appeal, December 4, 1999

Bill Ellis

Jazz

On her third self-made disc, "To Hell with Love" (no label, 3.5 stars) Memphis's premier piano lady Di Anne Price lets her remarkable band step to the fore. And since "Her Boyfriends" (as they're dubbed) consist of saxman Jim Spake, drummer Tom Lonardo and bassist Tim Goodwin, the results are thrilling, especially their coaxing, bebop take on Louis Prima's Sing, Sing, Sing and the prowling backup they provide on the Doc Pomus standard Lonely Avenue.

Price herself continues to sing and play like she stepped out of the '40s. She makes the Lyle Lovett tune She's No Lady, She's My Wife bump along like a newly found 78, puts sultry life into Just for a Thrill by Memphis jazz pianist Lil Hardin (better known as Louis Armstrong's collaborator/wife) and gives a Mose Allison lift to the Ray Charles number Sticks and Stones. But every track has character - Long John and its keyboard filigree worthy of Memphis Slim; the smoky strut of Room with a View.

This is easily Price's most accomplished record, full of great songs and greater interpretation. What keeps the album from perfection is simple: itsatrocious packaging. The terrible disc cover, an out-of-focus, poorly lit picture of Price on a bed with a drink in her hand acting like (well, I won't say) looks plain tacky. It's a shame, too, since some people might never discover this endearing album because its penny-pinching artwork is such a turnoff. Fortunately, every picture doesn't tell a story. Catch Price at In the Grove on Sunday for a CD release party.

Memphis Flyer Dec. 8, 1999

Tim Sampson: We Recommend

sunday, december 5

I have but three words to day about tonight: Di Anne Price. The city's premier chanteuse is having her much-awaited CD release party at 5 p.m. at In The Grove, at which time she will play tunes from the said CD, To Hell With Love. If you don't get out of the house to see any other show this year, make sure you don't miss this one.

Mark Jordan: Music Notes

Goodwin and Spake pop up on out other new release of the week, as members of Di Anne Price's longtime backing band the Boyfriends. Price's new album is, like [Gary] Johns', made up of covers, some of them well known, but in her case there is an original artistic voice and sense behind the proceedings. Price's third CD To Hell With Love, focuses on the admittedly broad theme of love. (The album's title is effectively evoked in the album's cover photo, a hazy shot showing Price lounging in her underwear with a glass of whiskey; it looks like the setup to some '70s porn flick.) But Price chooses her material very well. Popular gems such as Lyle Lovett's "She's No Lady, She's My Wife" and Doc Pomus' "Lonely Avenue" are dropped in among more obscure fare such as Titus Turner's "Alone on My Own." I'll use the same word to describe Price's voice as I used for John's - smoky- but Price is a damned bit closer to Nina Simone than Johns is to Tony Bennett. She is a blues singer in the jazziest sense of the word (and visa versa) who imbues her lines with personality and genuine feeling. And her piano playing is equally fine. As for her Boyfriends - Spake, Goodwin, and drummer Tom Lonardo - they support their woman gigging, they've become one of the best combos in town. Just under the wire, Price has put out one of the best CDs of the year. Price and her Boyfriends celebrate their new release with a gig at In The Grove Sunday at 5 p.m.