Hunt channels 'Fess, Jackson on latest CD

What? A woman who claims Professor Longhair as an influence? A woman? A white woman?\nBelieve it. Kelley Hunt, a blues shouter who's been compared to Susan Tedeschi, tries to channel the sound and soul of the N'Awlins boogie-woogie patriarch (among other influences) on her second studio CD, New Shade of Blue.\nAnd, to a large extent, she succeeds. The Lawrence, Kan., resident moves from the mid-tempo leadoff song, "Waking Up Slow," to the boisterous "Deal with It" (a duet with Delbert McClinton) to the aching album-closer "Would You Still Be There" with relative ease, infusing the gut-bucket R&B with a foot-stomping touch of honky tonk. (And why not? She also cites pioneering rockabilly legend Wanda Jackson as an influence.) The CD weaves a diverse tapestry of styles and emotions, and it's also a whole lotta fun.\nBut is that enough to distinguish Hunt from the blues/roots pack? That's a little tougher to discern. She's got the chops, both as a singer and a songwriter, but it's too early to say that she's headed for blues greatness. Perhaps New Shade will lead to a Tedeschi-like breakthrough. But Hunt might have to pay her dues and strive to further refine her already unique sound for a little longer before the blues world appreciates her talent fully.