JLH
Fusing modern attitude with vintage swagger, Jane Lee Hooker exploded off the NYC club scene with 2016’s No B! – a debut album whose rocket-fueled blues won acclaim from both Rocks Magazine and American Blues Scene, and led them onto major stages like Rockpalast in Germany, Mountain Jam, and The Big Blues Bender.
The five members have pedigree to burn, turning heads and tearing up stages in seminal bands from Nashville Pussy to Bad Wizard. But when Dana 'Danger' Athens (vocals), Hail Mary Z (bass), 'Cool Whip' Houston (drums), Tracy Hightop (guitar) and Tina 'T-Bone' Gorin (guitar) hooked up in 2013, they swore a blood pact to take JLH all the way.
“We’re a gang. We’re a family.”
Their second album, Spiritus (Ruf Records) finds the band writing their own entry into the great rock 'n' roll songbook. The album was written by the band as a unit, and they hit the studio with producer Matt Chiaravalle then set the controls to 'GO.' "We wanted this album to sound like we do live – raw and high energy."
On 'How Ya Doin’', Dana treats this studio album like a live show, bantering with an imagined crowd over revving guitars and hand-claps, 'Gimme That' is a Stones-worthy swagger that blooms into a stomp-and-holler climax, while 'Mama Said' features dueling guitars, rumbling bass, and a defiant pick-yourself-up lyric. 'Be My Baby' rides on a cool-as-hell guitar part, then there’s 'Black Rat', a blues-on-speed riot with Dana firing her vocal like a machine gun.
In an album of impressive stylistic shifts, there’s also 'The Breeze', a nine-minute blues slow-burner that allows the band to stretch out. 'How Bright The Moon' is a marked change of pace; starting out with piano and a tender, nuanced vocal, which breaks into a roaring soul torch-song, and 'Later On' showcases the band's ability to hold back, building dynamic tension, leaving room for Dana's powerful voice to take the lead.
This year, JLH played to packed houses in Germany, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, Denmark, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium, and the Czech Republic.
They are currently touring the U.S. and Europe in support of Spiritus.