| [ Home]| [Events]| [Articles]| [Links]| [Bulletin Board]| [Mail]

As on Beale Street, the cover acts abound throughout Memphis, and their place within the realm of the city's contemporary music scene is hard to define: While groups such as the retro-camp Bouffants and local stalwarts from Reba Russell to Joyce Cobb have developed intensely devoted followings, what they offer has more to do with entertainment than it does a deeply creative type of artistry, let alone a commitment to extend the city's music legacy. Anyone who confuses their work with genuine greatness has probably had a few too many cocktails in the East Memphis clubs these performers usually call home.

Of course, there are exceptions, the most notable being vocalist/pianist Di Anne Price, who at her regular gigs at the Huey's in downtown and Midtown and on her sterling debut CD A Good Man is Hard to Find, puts a unique stamp on a variety of standards - no small feat when said standards include such hoary staples as "Fever", "Makin' Whoopee", and "Why Don't You Do Right". Along with her Boyfriends - a quartet composed of sax genius Jim Spake, drummer Tom Lonardo, and bassist Tim Goodwin - Price at her best redefines these songs, finding something in them that masterfully suits her throaty voice and her often dazzling unique phrasing. You can only pray that somebody somewhere hooks up this immense talent with a producer who's smart enough to let her record with her own band and offers her a batch of songs worthy of an artist who might be the best vocalist in the city and a viable contender on a national level.