Wake Up Call

Boston native Michelle Willson has always been able to channel the spirits and styles of her musical forebears -- from Bessie Smith to Sarah Vaughn to Phoebe Snow.\nAnd on \"They Don\'t Want Me to Rock No More,\" the third track from her fourth Bullseye/Rounder release, Wake Up Call, she does a dead-on impersonation of late-1950s rockers Ruth Brown and LaVern Baker. With a five-piece band backing her up, Willson makes the song jump and crackle with the same energy that fueled the glorious eruption of rhythm and blues 45 years ago.\nOn the rest of the album, Willson slips from smoky, beguiling jazz (\"Leap of Faith\") to dirty blues (\"Just Like a Dog (Barking Up the Wrong Tree)\") to sexy funk (\"Wake Up Call\"). She also infuses a few Latin flavors along the way.\nAside from Willson\'s powerful vocals, the album\'s other strength is the guitar-work of Mike Mele, whose deft blues lick pick up the music whenever it\'s in danger of faltering.\nAlas, Wake Up Call isn\'t quite as good as 1998\'s Tryin\' to Make a Little Love (which did a good job of putting the listener in the mood for a little jellyroll, if you know what I mean). Still, Wake Up Call is another solid tribute to Willson\'s influences, who just happen to be some of the most important figures in American music.