The Bluesmasters' latest release, eighth overall, features blues vocalist/bassist Cassie Taylor on a superb gospel-flavored set of soul and blues. Taylor, the daughter of guitarist Otis Taylor, made her mark initially as a member of her father's band, later embarking on a solo career. She left the music scene for a decade to deal with personal issues, but returns with a vengeance on The Bluesmasters Featuring Cassie Taylor (Exulans DMD), a stellar set of inspiring tracks recorded live in the studio.

Joining Taylor on these ten tracks are Kassidy Kent (bass, background vocals), Christian Teele (drums), Eric Moon (keyboards), Tim Tucker (guitars), Stella Ann (percussion/background vocals), Sally Van Meter (lap steel), Doug Lynn (harmonica), and background vocalists Kylee Ribble, Larea Edwards, and Chrissy Grant. The songs will be familiar to fans of southern soul, blues, and gospel, but singer and band deliver these tracks like they're brand new.

The Staples Singers' “Downward Road” opens the disc, one of several tunes associated with the group on the set. This rendition adds steel guitar and harmonica over a Windy City-styled shuffle. Taylor's heartfelt vocal is a standout on a moving version of Blind Willie Johnson's “Nobody's Fault But Mine,” backed by sweet background vocals, Lynn's harmonica, and Moon's keyboards (including accordion).

Another song associated with the Staples, the powerful “Sit Down Servant,” opens with searing fretwork and Taylor and the backing vocalists' interplay is remarkable.
Ramsey Lewis' “Wade In The Water” gets a thoroughly modern update, with outstanding rhythm work from the band and a fine vocal effort from Taylor and the background singers.

“You're Gonna Make Me Cry,” the soul classic previously recorded by both the Staples and O.V. Wright, is fantastic, with Taylor at her very best on this reading. “If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again” dates back to the 1920s, written by Whit Vaughan, and The Bluesmasters's updating of this oft-recorded gospel tune is first-rate.

The next three songs are also associated with the Staples Singers. “Come Go With Me” was a Top 10 pop hit in 1973, with the group's rendition pretty faithful to the single and Taylor's vocal is sweet. “I Wonder Why” brings the blues into the mix front and center, as Taylor testifies, backed by Lynn's harmonica.

“Respect Yourself” gets an affectionate treatment that grooves as strongly as the original. The album closes with a blues-infused read of Don Covay's “Chain of Fools,” a big hit for Aretha Franklin back in the day.

It's great to hear Cassie Taylor's voice again, and it seems she's found the perfect compliment to her talents with The Bluesmasters. Their latest effort is a fantastic marriage of blues, soul, and gospel, appealing to fans of all three genres.

--- Graham Clarke