Guitar'd and Feathered

Blues-rock veteran Candye Kane returns with one of her stronger albums in recent memory. The basic premise of Guitar'd and Feathered is simple enough: each track pairs the randy blues diva with a different guitarist. Guests include Sue Foley, Junior Watson, Steady Rollin' Bob Margolin (who also produces), and others, but rather than bend Kane's outsized persona to fit each guitarist's style, Kane and Margolin keep her ragged-but-right vocals front and center throughout. Highlights include the rueful Boz Scaggs-like pop-soul of "I'm My Own Worst Enemy," the Wanda Jackson-inspired rockabilly howl of "Crazy Little Thing," and a surprisingly somber acoustic blues gospel protest tune called "Jesus and Mohammed" that's entirely unlike anything Kane has ever done before and on which she recalls Judy Henske's theatrical, almost cabaret-influenced style. Many of the lyrics touch on elements of Kane's own life (based on the liner notes, it seems "I'm My Own Worst Enemy" was inspired by an online flame war) and her sexually aggressive persona, but it seems to be an older, wiser Kane on display throughout Guitar'd and Feathered, with an element of lovesickness that suits her.