Hard Drivin’ Woman is an incendiary rockin’ disc, complete with a jazzed-up piano riffs, screeching organ, powerful syncopated bass lines, and incredibly melodic and searing guitar work by the man himself James Owens. Then there’s Sharrie Williams, the protagonist in this self-penned confessional blues spiritual. It's the singer that brings the message with the wisdom of a seeker. Sharrie’s vocals are gritty and cock-sure. She’s sho ‘enuf Sacagawea-tough, make no mistake, this blues princess ain’t no pushover. She’s been around the bend and back and knows the score. She learned the gospel from the streets and knows the real deal when she sees it. Not one to gosh-golly-whitewash the funky reality of the times, Sharrie can only shrug when she fills auditoriums in Europe only to come back home to Saginaw to take out the trash and stand in the queue at council chambers. Bow and scrape and promise to be good. Never mind the silence, there’s better times ahead. Just listen to this disc and you’ll get a hint of this lady’s depth.

Sharrie opens with the high-energy title song, a hard rocking tour-de force co-written with local keyboard legend Noel Leaman. It sets a delectable tone that is both a promise and a warning. What follows is some incredible genre blending original music that combines blues, jazz, gospel, r&b, funk, and rock. From the good-time-Bo-Diddley-beat of the autobiographical “Travelin” and the straight-on 12-bar blues of “Crazy For You” to the unrelenting funky sadness of “My Best Friend is Gone” the themes of loss and longing infuse the record with a sense of recovery and triumph. You can hear it in her masterful interpretation of the Foster/Jordan blues-gem “I’d Rather Go Blind”, she can stand outside her fear and sing it strong and pure, it’s a plea and a prophecy. Just check out “Big Fall”, the warning is given and the prophecy is revealed - Sharrie’s not playing, those keys don’t fit no more. The love-ballads, “I’ll Give You Me”, “Selfish”, and “My Old Man” are a quiet side of Sharrie that is absolutely spectacular. Sharrie is able to relax and allow the unadorned beauty of her voice to shine - a promising new direction. She even has the vamp to get topical with a peace and love vibe of her blues spiritual “Glory Train”, written with James Owens and Marco Franco. Great tune! The disc closes with “Gospel Blues”, Sharrie’s testimony, her calling. This is a strong and enduring work by a major talent. If only more of us could hear the message. Amen.

Peace
Bo White