Mississippi Heat - Don't Look Back

Size: 123.7 MB
Time: 53:12
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2025
Styles: Chicago Blues
Art: Front

01. You Ain't The Only One (3:09)
02. Third Wheel (3:28)
03. Quarter To Three (3:41)
04. Stepped Out Of Line (4:51)
05. Can't Take It (4:13)
06. Moonshine Man (2:56)
07. Champin' At The Bit (3:49)
08. Love (It Makes You Do Most Anything) (3:23)
09. Shiverin' Blues (5:40)
10. The Sock Hop (3:39)
11. Blue Amber (3:37)
12. I Ain't Evil (4:06)
13. Don't Look Back (3:15)
14. Four Steel Walls (3:19)

With Pierre Lacocque at the controls and an artistic collective of veteran and rising new artists, Mississippi Heat continues to look ahead as it stretches the boundaries of Chicago blues. Featuring Sheryl Youngblood, vocals.

Don't Look Back MP3
Don't Look Back FLAC

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Mississippi Heat - Madeleine

Album: Madeleine
Size: 130,0 MB
Time: 56:01
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2022
Styles: Blues, harmonica blues
Art: Full

1. Silent Too Long (4:45)
2. Batty Crazy (4:35)
3. Havana En Mi Alma (4:22)
4. Uninvited Guest (5:54)
5. Nothin' I Can Do (3:48)
6. Empty Nest Blues (4:00)
7. Ridin' On A Hit (3:59)
8. Everybody Do Somethin' (4:37)
9. Madeleine (5:24)
10. At The Lucky Star (4:36)
11. Truth Like Rain (5:34)
12. Trouble (4:21)

Led by songwriter, harmonicist, and band leader Pierre Lacocque, Mississippi Heat returns with their 13th album in time to celebrate their 30th anniversary. As one of the longest running bands, per usual theirs is the traditional Chicago blues sound with wailing harp, stinging guitars and several terrific vocalists. In the band’s tradition, they call on the best living Chicago blues greats as guests – guitarists/vocalists Lurrie Bell and Carl Weathersby, keyboardist Johnny Iguana, and drummer Kenny “Beedy Eyes” Smith. These four join a formidable lineup that already features vocalists Inetta Visor and Daneshia Hamilton, guitarist/vocalist Michael Dotson, guitarist Giles Corey, bassist Terrence Williams, and keyboardist Chris “Hambone” Cameron.

The in-demand Memphis horn team of Marc Franklin and Kirk Smothers grace four tracks. Background vocalists (A.K.A. NADIMA), who have worked with Aretha Franklin, Otis Clay, and Stevie Wonder – Nanette Frank, Diane Madison, and Mae Koen appear on five tracks. Finally, percussionist Ruben Alvarez sits in on two tracks. Lacocque penned nine of the dozen tracks with two from Dotson and one from Visor. The album was recorded, mixed and mastered by Grammy winner Paul Blakemore and co-produced by Lacocque with Grammy and BMA winning producer/engineer Michael Freeman. Lacocque is Israeli-born and raised by Christian parents in Belgium. He has lived in and traveled to many countries but has become a Chicago institution, consistently counted in to deliver blues the right way and promote the city’s traditionalists. In addition to those named above, Billy Flynn, Barrelhouse Chuck, Bob Stroger, Robert Covington, and James Wheeler are among the names that have worked with the band.

The album, indirectly has quite a back story named for Lacocque’s maternal grandmother Emma Magdalena (Madeleine) Van der Linden, affectionately known as “Mamy.” The instrumental, poignant harmonica-led title track is for her. She lived through two World Wars and lost her eldest son at the age of 17, passing at a concentration camp in northern Austria. Like his father, the son had been involved in Resistance activities. Lacocque’s grandfather was imprisoned and tortured by the Nazis. He twice faced firing squads and was rescued by a local priest who attested to his innocence. Both sets of Lacocque’s maternal and paternal grandparents in Belgium, were involved in Resistance, helping Jewish families and providing food for the poor. This level of generosity and democracy has clearly made its mark on Lacocque’s musical philosophy. He is willing to share the stage with greats while also providing a platform for the emerging talents.

Among the highlights are the opener “Silent Too Long” sung by Carl Weathersby fronting the core band, the debut of young West Side vocalist Daneisha Hamilton who sings on “Batty Crazy,” “Nothin’ I Can Do,” “Ridin’ On a Hit,” and “At the Lucky Star.” Longtime vocalist Inetta Visor takes the mic for “Havana En Mi Alma,” “Empty Nest Blues,” and her own closing “Trouble.” Michael Dotson’s tunes add just a touch of variety to those from the leader, as Dotson leads “Everybody Do Somethin’” and the especially memorable “Truth Like Rain.” Guitar fans will note Weathersby’s leads on the tunes that Visor sings while Lurrie Bell somehow always stands apart, whether singing, playing guitar, or both as when featured on “Uninvited Guest.” His signature guitar also colors “Nothin’ I Can Do” and the title track. You may also detect Johnny Iguana’s rollicking piano on “Batty Crazy,” “Ridin’ on a Hit” and “Truth Like Rain.”

Make no mistake; the core band does a terrific job. These guest spots, horns, and background vocalists only add more depth and colors. To some, it may seem a bit overdone, but the superb mixing job lets it breathe more freely than expected. We can always count on Mississippi Heat to deliver original material steeped in Chicago blues traditions with perhaps a few other flavors such as Latin, jazz, and zydeco. Lacocque’s harp soars throughout but plenty of other musicians get their say too. This is blues done the right way, thirty years on. /Jim Hynes, Making A Scene

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Mississippi Heat - Hattiesburg Blues

Year: 2008
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:01
Size: 145,7 MB
Styles: Electric blues, Chicago blues
Scans: Full

1. Tiger Man (4:06)
2. Chicago Is My Home (4:49)
3. Forgot You Had A Home (4:22)
4. How Much Worse Can It Get (5:35)
5. Soft-Hearted Woman (5:01)
6. Hattiesburg Blues (4:02)
7. Gone So Long (3:14)
8. Light From Within (5:59)
9. Calypso In Blue (5:35)
10. Hell And Back (5:31)
11. Say Something Good (4:24)
12. Foolish Man (4:44)
13. Nature Is Cryin' (5:33)

Considering that harmonica player Pierre Lacocque specializes in electric Chicago blues, wouldn't it have made more sense for him to call his band Chicago Heat instead of Mississippi Heat? Well, Chicago Heat would have been an appropriate name for Lacocque's outfit, but given Mississippi's impact on the Chicago blues, there is no reason why Chicago-based blues artists shouldn't give a shout out to that southern state. After all, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Howlin' Wolf, Magic Sam, Otis Spann, Magic Slim, and Jimmy Reed were among the many Mississippi natives who made their mark in the Windy City - which is where Mississippi Heat recorded Hattiesburg Blues in 2007.

The fact that this 63-minute CD contains a song called "Hattiesburg Blues" (as in Hattiesburg, MS) as well as a song titled "Chicago Is My Home" (which features Lurrie Bell on vocals and guitar) says a lot about the Chicago/Mississippi connection, but no one will mistake anything on the disc for acoustic Mississippi country-blues; Hattiesburg Blues is decidedly urban and decidedly electric, and one person who does a lot to help Lacocque give this release much of its big city appeal is Inetta Visor.

Lacocque features the big-voiced singer prominently; she is a major asset on the feel-good opener "Tiger Man" but is equally successful on moody, dusky minor-key offerings such as "How Much Worse Can It Be?," "Light from Within" and "Forgot You Had a Home." A minor-key approach has a way of adding considerable moodiness to a blues performance, and it often works well for Lacocque and his allies on Hattiesburg Blues - which is yet another demonstration of their ability to provide solid albums that emphasize electric Chicago blues and occasionally detour into old-school soul. /Alex Henderson, AllMusic

(For personnel details, see artwork included.)

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Mississippi Heat - Let's Live It Up / Delta Bound

Album: Let's Live It Up
Size: 140,6 MB
Time: 60:11
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2010
Styles: Electric Blues
Art: Full

01. Let's Live It Up (3:54)
02. Steadfast, Loyal And True (4:50)
03. Jumpin' In Chi-Town (3:20)
04. She Died From A Broken Heart (6:06)
05. Betty Sue (4:42)
06. Another Sleepless Night (4:20)
07. Peace Train (3:25)
08. Been Good To You (5:25)
09. I Want To Know (3:54)
10. Enlighten Me (4:46)
11. Daggers & Spears (4:56)
12. Don't Cry For Me (3:38)
13. I Got Some News Today (4:25)
14. Until We Meet Again (2:23)

Formed in 1991, Mississippi Heat has become one of the more popular modern blues bands out of Chicago. Led by harmonica great Pierre Lacocque, this high-energy ensemble has released nine recordings with a rotating cast of top-notch talent. On Let's Live it Up!, the group delivers a rocking set with the help of earthy vocalist Inetta Visor and guitar greats John Primer and Carl Weathersby.

The bulk of the disc's material is written by Lacocque and covers all the essential blues grooves, from straight-forward shuffle ("Steadfast, Loyal, and True," "Daggers & Spears") and up-tempo jump ("Jumpin' in Chi-Town," "Betty Sue"), to minor-key rockers ("She Died From a Broken Heart," "Been Good To You"). An inspired cover of Sugar Pie DeSanto's "I Want to Know," featuring Weathersby's Albert King-inspired plucking, settles into a relaxed blues mambo supported by Kenny Smith's soulful drumming and bassist Stephen Howard.

Guitarist Primer, whose impressive resume includes stints with Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon, plays and sings with a swinging intensity on three tracks, including his own "I Got Some News Today." As exceptional as Primer and Weathersby are, the bulk of the guitar soloing on the disc comes courtesy of Giles Corey, whose style is unique and somewhat more edgy.

Chris "Hambone" Cameron provides solid support on organ and piano, occasionally stepping into the spotlight, as on the opening title track, playing clever unison lines with Lacocque. With the addition of a strong four-piece horn section on a handful of tracks, Let's Live it Up! turns out to be nothing short of a raucous, well-conceived good time. ~by John Barron

Personnel: Pierre Lacocque: harmonica; Inetta Visor: vocals; Rhonda Preston: vocals; John Primer: guitar, vocals; Carl Weathersby: guitar; Giles Corey: guitar; Chris "Hambone" Cameron: organ, piano, clavinet; Stephen Howard: bass; Kenny Smith: drums; Andrew "Blaze" Thomas: drums; Ruben Alvarez: percussion; Kay Reed: background vocals; Mae Koen: background vocals; Vanessa Holmes: background vocals; Kenny Anderson: trumpet; Hank Ford: tenor saxophone; Bill McFarland; Sam Burkhardt: alto saxophone.

Let's Live It Up

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Album: Delta Bound
Size: 142.3 MB
Time: 61:34
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2012
Styles: Electric Blues
Art: Full

01. Granny Mae (4:03)
02. Look-A-Here, Baby (4:10)
03. New Orleans Man (5:58)
04. My Mother's Plea (5:29)
05. Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood (4:10)
06. Padlock Blues (3:12)
07. What's Happening To Me? (4:11)
08. The Blues Matrix (4:27)
09. Goin' To St.Louis (4:08)
10. Trouble Is His Trail (4:38)
11. Mr. Mistreater (3:43)
12. Lemon Twist (4:25)
13. Sweet Ol' Blues (4:01)
14. Easy To Please (4:51)

The late guitarist Honeyboy Edwards wrote in his autobiography, The World Don't Owe Me Nothing, that the blues is "something that leads you," a restlessness born of both discontent and hope. The archetypical blues traveler seeks sanctuary as well as freedom, a safe haven "further on down the line." Pierre Lacocque, founder of Mississippi Heat, still remembers the day when this realization came alive for him.

"I was born in Israel," he recalls. "We are a Christian family, but extremely attracted to Jewish thinking and theology; my father (Andre Lacocque) is a world renowned Old Testament scholar...

Being in a Jewish school (in Brussels, where Pierre and his family moved when he was about six years old) always made me feel different. My brother, sister, and I were the only non-Jews, ever, in the history of that school, to attend. And Belgium is a Catholic country, and we are Protestant, so that was also a kind of different feel. So I was always searching for roots – ‘Where do I belong? Who am I?"

In 1969, Pierre's father took a faculty position at the Chicago Theological Seminary, and the family moved to America. Adrift in yet another new country, Pierre found himself one evening strolling aimlessly around the campus of the University of Chicago, where the Seminary is located. "It was toward the end of the summer, as I recall . . . I had no idea – here I am from Belgium, I don't speak English, and I was just walking along, a little bored; then I heard a sound coming from a few blocks away. I said, ‘Man! What the heck is that?' So I kept walking towards it, with my heart beating and everything – "Damn! I got to go to this! I got to go to this!!"

The "sound" that drew him was the harmonica of blues legend Big Walter Horton, who was playing a concert at Ida Noyes Hall on campus. Entering the hall, Pierre encountered nothing less than a revelation. "I did not know that blues existed as a music form," he insists, "until I came to Chicago. I never had heard it before in my life until 1969. Big Walter – of course I didn't know who he was at the time, a harmonica player, with an amplifier on a chair, and then the bass, guitar, and drums. Like a lightning bolt, it just converted my life; it just changed my life's meaning. I never knew this existed – that sound, that tone. I just said, ‘This is what I want to do!'

In 1970, he moved to Montreal to pursue his education; when he wasn't studying, he continued to hone his chops. He eventually hooked up with a local band called Oven and got a further taste of the blues life when he and his bandmates were burned by a shyster promoter. He returned to Chicago in 1976, but rather than leaping back into the city's blues scene, he took time off to earn a doctorate in psychology and embark on a career as a clinician and researcher. By the late ‘80s, though, he was again feeling restless, and he decided it was time to take the plunge into music once more.

Now a proficient harpist, Pierre worked with various blues aggregations around town. But he craved the opportunity to express himself more fully. "I felt the cry in blues," he explains, "but also the truth about the music. (Guitarist) Jon McDonald, who was a friend of mine, invited me to one of his gigs; it just happened that (bassist) Bob Stroger and (drummer/vocalist) Robert Covington were part of his band. We had such a great time that his brother Michel said, ‘Let's form a band! I'll be your manager."

The result was Mississippi Heat. "Jon McDonald was the first guitarist, and Bob Stroger, and Covington was on drums in the beginning. Then Bob Carter took over [on drums] because Covington wanted to be a front man. ‘The Golden Voice,' man! He had such an impressive stage presence, and his voice, it was just amazing." That voice (as well as Covington's drumming) was featured on the band's debut CD, 1992's Straight From The Heart. But Covington was suffering from health problems. On Stroger's recommendation, Pierre recruited vocalist Deitra Farr. With Deitra at the helm, a reconstituted Mississippi Heat recorded Learned The Hard Way in 1994 and Thunder In My Heart the following year.

By that time, Mississippi Heat's ‘traditional blues with a unique sound,' as their slogan puts it, had been codified, and it's remained intact ever since. Through myriad personnel changes, which have included stints by some of Chicago's most esteemed musicians and vocalists (Katherine Davis, who appears on 1999's Handyman, took over after Deitra struck out on her own in the mid-'90s; the incendiary Inetta Visor stepped in in 2001 and has held the mic ever since), Pierre's beloved dream band has become both a Chicago mainstay and an international ambassador of the living blues tradition.

This CD, Delta eltaelta Bound , is both a showcase for fresh material and an affectionate look back – Deitra has returned to sing a few songs; guitarist Billy Flynn, another early member, is also on hand to contribute his deft meld of rootsy integrity and forward-looking flash. And as usual, the special guests – including Zydeco great Chubby carrier, keyboardist Chris "Hambone" Cameron, and fretboard mainstay Carl Weathersby – ignite almost as many sparks as the core unit itself.

Through it all, the group's shared passion for blues expression, in all its soul-baring honesty, is palpable. "Sweet Ol' Blues, I'm so glad you're my friend," sings Deitra, in what could stand as both Pierre's and the entire band's theme song. "You are my trusted companion, now – yes, my pal, forever on end."

Delta Bound

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Mississippi Heat - Cab Driving Man

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 67:33
Size: 154.7 MB
Styles: Chicago blues, Delta blues
Year: 2016
Art: Front

[3:29] 1. Cupid Bound
[3:34] 2. Cab Driving Man
[4:05] 3. That Late Night Stuff
[4:53] 4. Flowers On My Tombstone
[3:51] 5. Icy Blue
[4:26] 6. The Last Go Round
[3:27] 7. Life Is Too Short
[3:29] 8. Don't Mess Up A Good Thing
[4:56] 9. Rosalie
[4:35] 10. Luck Of The Draw
[5:08] 11. Mama Kaila
[5:41] 12. Music Is My Life
[3:51] 13. Lonely Eyes
[4:18] 14. Smooth Operator
[4:37] 15. Can't Get Me No Traction
[3:05] 16. Hey Pipo!

CAB DRIVING MAN is Mississippi Heat’s 12th recording, and 6th release on Delmark Records. Passionate and melodic harmonica player Pierre Lacocque leads his band by providing 11 original songs, while maestro guitar player Michael Dotson sings on 3 of his own compositions. Lead singer Inetta Visor delivers stellar vocals on 12 songs, including 2 covers: “Don’t Mess Up a Good Thing” here a duet with Giles Corey; originally made famous by Fontella Bass and Bobby McClure, and “Smooth Operator” previously recorded by Sarah Vaughan. CAB DRIVING MAN takes you from vintage, low-down Chicago and Delta blues to exciting boogies, Latin beats, and R&B ballads. Special guests include Sax Gordon, Dave Specter, Sumito Ariyo, and Ruben Alvarez.

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Mississippi Heat - Footprints On The Ceiling

Year: 2002
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s (from Flac)
Time: 58:39
Size: 136,1 MB
Styles: Electric blues, harmonica blues
Scans: Full

1. Goin' Home (4:22)
2. Jean's Jive (3:08)
3. She's Got Everything (4:06)
4. What Kind Of Man Is That? (5:11)
5. That Ain't Love (3:49)
6. Blues For George Baze (4:18)
7. Caribbean Sunshine (3:33)
8. Heartbroken (5:43)
9. Madcap Hop (4:51)
10. Hobo Blues (3:42)
11. Still Havin' A Ball (3:53)
12. Gonna Leave And Let Her Be (3:51)
13. What Else Can I Do (4:20)
14. Footprints On The Ceiling (3:44)

This is the fifth album from powerhouse blues group Mississippi Heat, led by harp blaster Pierre Lacocque, who's joined by vocalist Inetta Visor, drummer Kenny Smith, guitarist/vocalist Chris Winters, bassist Steve Howard, guitarist Michael Thomas and others. The band recorded this material in Chicago at Tone Zone in June of 2001 and proved they could do in the studio what they do on stage. The CD features special guests Billy Boy Arnold, Carl Weathersby, Peter "Madcat" Ruth, Phil Baron, Pat Brennan and Michael Freeman. /Amazon

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Mississippi Heat - Handyman

File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Source: LL (from CD)
Released: 1999
Styles: Blues
Time: 63:05
Size: 145,2 MB
Art: Full

Musicians:
Pierre Lacocque - harmonica
Katherine Davis - vocals
George Baze - guitar & vocals
Barrelhouse Chuck - piano, organ & vocals
Ike Anderson - bass
Kenneth Smith - drums

(4:32) 1. One More Chance
(3:47) 2. Excuse Me
(4:01) 3. Handyman
(3:03) 4. These Men Look Good To Me
(5:41) 5. Farewell To S.P. Leary
(2:32) 6. Cornell Street Boogie
(3:36) 7. Ghost Daddy
(5:16) 8. Dog In My Back Yard
(4:04) 9. Don't Cross Me
(4:49) 10. It Hurts to Be Lonesome
(4:29) 11. Payday
(3:24) 12. Stay With Me
(4:10) 13. Johnny Boy
(4:05) 14. Please Don't Cry (bonus track)
(5:31) 15. Early Morning Blues (bonus track)

Mississippi Heat is a blues band concept. Since its founding in 1991, through various permutations of musicians, celebration, joy, death, thousands of gigs throughout North and South America and Europe, the band has strived for artistic collaboration where everyone contributes songs, ideas, solos and voices, and everyone gets a chance on the spotlight. Like the best bands, Mississippi Heat is a cohesive unit whiere individual personalities are subservient to the masterful whole. The new album is a showcase for Pierre Lacocque, both behind the scenes as songwriter and producer, and out in front as a powerful, melodic voice on harmonica. This reissue of 'Handyman' celebrates the tenth anniversary of Mississippi Heat. Over the course of a decade their vision has remained intact, developing new material steeped in traditional blues, but with an original twist. The band invited lots of guests for this album; Billy Boy Arnold, Zora Young and Carl Weathersby to name a few !

Handyman
Handyman artwork

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Mississippi Heat - 2 albums: Warning Shot / One Eye Open: Live At Rosa's Lounge

Album: Warning Shot
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:27
Size: 145.3 MB
Styles: Chicago blues, Jump blues
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[3:49] 1. Sweet Poison
[3:26] 2. Alley Cat Boogie
[3:41] 3. Come To Mama
[4:36] 4. I Don't Know
[3:49] 5. Yeah Now Baby
[4:24] 6. Birthday Song
[3:00] 7. Nowhere To Go
[3:10] 8. Warning Shot
[3:39] 9. Swingy Dingy Baby
[4:00] 10. Too Sad To Wipe My Tears
[3:02] 11. Recession Blues
[5:31] 12. Evaporated Blues
[3:20] 13. Your Cheating Heart
[4:44] 14. A Part Of Something Special
[4:08] 15. What Cha Say
[5:01] 16. Working Man

My father, born in 1915 and having seen and heard such, would call Warning Shot "Roadhouse Music." More technically, this is "jump blues" employing a larger-than-average band with an unidentified horn section on a majority of the 16 selections, the longest clocking in at 5:36 and the shortest at 3:00. This is an old-fashioned recording of 45 rpm singles ready of radio play, the majority of which would play well on what remains of independently-programmed radio.

Mississippi Heat is led by one Pierre LaCocque, a fine harmonica player in the vein of Charlie Musselwhite and Paul Butterfield. LaCocque penned 10 of the songs on Warning Shot played all of the harmonic and produced the recording. Hailing from Chicago, LaCocque came by his abilities honestly, capable of playing every style between Sonny Boy No.1 and Little Walter Jacobs.

What Warning Shot is not is a rehash of the poor maligned twelve-bars ad nausem. The styles range from the Elmore James-inflected "Sweet Poison" to gulf humidity of "Come to Mama" and "Recession Blues." The swampy dirge "Evaporated Blues" sung by Michael Dotson contains an overdriven Tony Joe White propelling a modified version of Son House's "Death Letter Blues."

LaCocque gives an instrumental "Your Cheating Heart" that recalls the best of Floyd Cramer and Boots Randolph's work in the 1960s. It is a romp; like the entire recording. Other standouts are Inetta Visor, who belts with the best of them and Neal O'Hara who excels equally on piano and organ. Enjoy this recording with a shot of Jack Black with a Jax back. ~C. Michael Bailey

Pierre Lacoque: harmonica; Inetta visor: vocals; Michael Dotson: vocals 95, 9, 12), guitar; giles Corey: guitar; Carls Weathersby: guitar (6, 14); Neal O-hara: keyboards; Brian Quinn: bass; Kenny Smith: vocals (15), drums; Andrew Thomas: drums (2, 3, 5, 6 9, 12, 14); Sax Gordon: saxophones; Ruben Alverez: percussion; Kae koen, Diane Madison and Nanette Frank: backup vocals.

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Album: One Eye Open: Live At Rosa's Lounge
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:16
Size: 151.7 MB
Styles: Chicago blues
Year: 2005
Art: Front

[8:30] 1. Rosa's Strut
[5:24] 2. 19 Year's Old
[7:46] 3. I've Got To Sleep With One Eye Open
[6:31] 4. Dirty Deal
[6:38] 5. Honest I Do
[5:17] 6. Rock Steady
[5:26] 7. Junkin'
[7:14] 8. Cold, Cold Feeling
[4:03] 9. Cool Twist
[5:30] 10. She Ain't Your Toy
[3:51] 11. Listen Here

As bandleader and composer, Pierre Lacocque's vision has never wavered since he founded Mississippi Heat in 1991. "Mississippi Heat not only breathes new life into the classic sounds of Chicago Blues but they also uplift with joy and dedication everything they play. Pierre Lacocque is that rare younger generation harpist who's absorbed the lessons of subtlety, silence and solo construction from the masters." ~ David Whiteis

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Mississippi Heat - Learned The Hard Way / Thunder In My Heart

Album: Learned The Hard Way
Size: 157,5 MB
Time: 68:47
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1994
Styles: Chicago Blues
Art: Full

01. I Love My Baby (4:13)
02. Learned The Hard Way (4:48)
03. Let's Pack Our Bags (3:47)
04. Je Me Souviens (I Remember Too) (5:11)
05. Keep Your Hands Off Her (4:04)
06. He's Not Good For Me (3:04)
07. My Woman Is An Old Black Spider (3:57)
08. Moanin' And Cryin' (6:13)
09. Kindhearted Fool (4:03)
10. Lonely Nights No More (4:31)
11. Wrong Guy (4:35)
12. How Long Can A Man Be Poor (6:38)
13. Got To Change Your Ways (3:13)
14. Bull Frog Hop (3:26)
15. Mean Old World (7:00)

A Dynamite set. This is the band's second CD. LEARNED THE HARD WAY (1994) was pivotal in launching the band internationally. It received rave reviews from fans, magazines and festival promoters alike (see below).
This line-up consists of Pierre Lacocque on harp, Deitra Farr on vocals, James Wheeler and Billy Flynn on guitars, Bob Stroger on bass, and Allen Kirk on drums.

Thanks to DrPeak.
Learned The Hard Way

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Album: Thunder In My Heart
Size: 149,6 MB
Time: 65:21
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1995
Styles: Chicago Blues
Art: Front & Back

01. Thunder In My Heart (4:26)
02. I Luv You So (3:34)
03. Hometown Boy (4:37)
04. Loan Me Train Fare (5:33)
05. Nothin' But Trouble (4:18)
06. You Gave Nothing (5:35)
07. Natalie (4:32)
08. Gonna Hit That Dusty Road (5:31)
09. Don't Dare Call (4:18)
10. Baby Please Stop Drinkin' (3:56)
11. Somebody's Always Talking (4:39)
12. Better Day (4:42)
13. Brand New Woman (6:34)
14. Steamrolin' (3:03)

THUNDER IN MY HEART was released in 1995. This is the band's third CD. The sound quality and song material is particularly good here. So is the inspiration from all the band members - Deitra Farr on vocals, and the same musicians as in LEARNED THE HARD WAY (1994). By this time the band was tight and well rehearsed. An exciting set of 14 original tunes!

THUNDER IN MY HEART marks the first time bass man Bob Stroger records his singing voice (a cover tune called "Loan Me Train Fare" with additional lyrics from Bob, and one written for him by Pierre Lacocque called "Don't Dare Call").

Thanks to DrPeak.
Thunder In My Heart

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Mississippi Heat - 2 albums: Glad You're Mine / Delta Bound

The late guitarist Honeyboy Edwards wrote in his autobiography, The World Don't Owe Me Nothing, that the blues is "something that leads you," a restlessness born of both discontent and hope. The archetypical blues traveler seeks sanctuary as well as freedom, a safe haven "further on down the line." Pierre Lacocque, founder of Mississippi Heat, still remembers the day when this realization came alive for him.

In 1970, he moved to Montreal to pursue his education; when he wasn't studying, he continued to hone his chops. He eventually hooked up with a local band called Oven and got a further taste of the blues life when he and his bandmates were burned by a shyster promoter. He returned to Chicago in 1976, but rather than leaping back into the city's blues scene, he took time off to earn a doctorate in psychology and embark on a career as a clinician and researcher. By the late ‘80s, though, he was again feeling restless, and he decided it was time to take the plunge into music once more.

Now a proficient harpist, Pierre worked with various blues aggregations around town. But he craved the opportunity to express himself more fully. "I felt the cry in blues," he explains, "but also the truth about the music. (Guitarist) Jon McDonald, who was a friend of mine, invited me to one of his gigs; it just happened that (bassist) Bob Stroger and (drummer/vocalist) Robert Covington were part of his band. We had such a great time that his brother Michel said, ‘Let's form a band! I'll be your manager."

The result was Mississippi Heat. "Jon McDonald was the first guitarist, and Bob Stroger, and Covington was on drums in the beginning. Then Bob Carter took over [on drums] because Covington wanted to be a front man. ‘The Golden Voice,' man! He had such an impressive stage presence, and his voice, it was just amazing." That voice (as well as Covington's drumming) was featured on the band's debut CD, 1992's Straight From The Heart. But Covington was suffering from health problems. On Stroger's recommendation, Pierre recruited vocalist Deitra Farr. With Deitra at the helm, a reconstituted Mississippi Heat recorded Learned The Hard Way in 1994 and Thunder In My Heart the following year.

By that time, Mississippi Heat's ‘traditional blues with a unique sound,' as their slogan puts it, had been codified, and it's remained intact ever since. Through myriad personnel changes, which have included stints by some of Chicago's most esteemed musicians and vocalists (Katherine Davis, who appears on 1999's Handyman, took over after Deitra struck out on her own in the mid-'90s; the incendiary Inetta Visor stepped in in 2001 and has held the mic ever since), Pierre's beloved dream band has become both a Chicago mainstay and an international ambassador of the living blues tradition.

Album: Glad You're Mine
Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 54:07
Size: 123.9 MB
Styles: Electric blues
Year: 2005
Art: Front

[4:28] 1. Dirty Deal
[5:12] 2. Heartless Fool
[5:43] 3. She Ain't Your Toy
[3:15] 4. Glad You're Mine
[3:22] 5. Give Me Yo' Strongest Whiskey
[4:18] 6. Cool Twist
[6:38] 7. I'm A Woman
[3:30] 8. Take My Hand
[5:02] 9. Love Will Play Tricks
[4:12] 10. Where Were You (Ode To Magic Sam)
[3:59] 11. Jamaican Night
[4:22] 12. Real Sad Strory

Glad You're Mine

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Album: Delta Bound
Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 61:13
Size: 140.2 MB
Styles: Electric blues
Year: 2012
Art: Front

[4:03] 1. Granny Mae
[4:10] 2. Look-A-Here, Baby
[5:55] 3. New Orleans Man
[5:27] 4. My Mother's Plea
[4:10] 5. Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
[3:09] 6. Padlock Blues
[4:08] 7. What's Happening To Me
[4:25] 8. The Blues Matrix
[4:05] 9. Goin' To St. Louis
[4:38] 10. Trouble In His Trail
[3:40] 11. Mr. Mistreater
[4:26] 12. Lemon Twist
[4:01] 13. Sweet Ol' Blues
[4:50] 14. Easy To Please

Delta Bound

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