I've been a big fan of the music of Kara Grainger for quite a few years and finally got to see her in person about a year ago. During that gig she mentioned having gone to Memphis to record her next album, and I savored the idea of her diverse blues style flavored with Memphis soul.

That's How I Got To Memphis is out and it's a keeper! Grainger recruited several members of Memphis soul royalty to provide backing, notably Rev. Charles Hodges (Hammond organ) and Leroy Hodges (bass guitar), augmented by a host of other outstanding musicians. Most of the recording was done at the legendary Royal Studios, a Memphis landmark, and produced by another notable figure in Lawrence "Boo" Mitchell.

The album contains just nine cuts, a mix of originals with some well-chosen covers, but it's all top quality stuff, with no filler.

The opener, "Texas Blues," stylistically follows Grainger's music career, kind of Australia meets Texas meets Memphis. It's a mid-tempo blues with big horn sounds from Marc Franklin (trumpet), Kirk Smothers (baritone sax), and Lannie McMillan (tenor sax). Grainger's vocals are sublime and she also comes in with a nice guitar solo on this original number.

The title cut, "That's How I Got To Memphis," segues nicely from the opening number, a mid-tempo soul/blues tune written by T.T. Hall. It was originally done as a country song but here gets that blast of soul from backing singers Shontelle Norman, Sharisse Norman, and Jackie Bristow, ending with a nice gospel vibe as she follows a trail of tears trying to get to that special man.

Grainger plays eerie guitar throughout her own swampy blues, "Light Your Fire," followed by another original, the love song "Wake Up With You," a slow blues about missing someone who's gone. Charles Hodges contributes wonderful organ accompaniment.

"Mama Said," written by Grainger, is a straight up-tempo blues with kind of a John Lee Hooker sound, highlighted by a strong slide guitar solo from Kara and incredible organ work from Rev. Hodges. A major dose of Memphis soul comes from a song grabbed from the Ann Peebles discography, "Love Played A Game." It's got a mid-tempo blues beat with big sounds from the horn section.

Grainger heads down the Mississippi River to New Orleans for the funky "Doodle Loop (World Is A Little Bit Under The Weather)," originally written and recorded by The Meters for their 1976 album, Trick Bag. A topical number about the state of the world that is just as applicable now, and perhaps even more so. Grainger gets the appropriate funk effects out of her guitar.

Getting close to the finale, Grainger's voice soars through the octaves on the mid-tempo soul/blues original, "Same Old River," while also playing fuzzy slide guitar. The key message here is the oft-repeated line, "...lLove and pain, can't have one without the other ..."

Wrapping up this outstanding album is a slow, gentle soul/blues, "Lessons," that opens with string accompaniment from Bobby Chase (violin, viola) and Alex Krew (cello). Graingers vocals display so much emotion as she sings about the loves she followed only to not work out, imploring, "...My heart has had enough, I don't need another lesson, I just want love ,,,," This one keeps running through my head even when I'm not listening to it.

That's How I Got To Memphis didn't come out until late in the year, but it's going down as one of the best of 2025. As I listen to it, I keep noticing a similarity to early Bonnie Raitt recordings, something I didn't catch on her earlier stuff.

If Kara Grainger is a new name to you, then by all means get this album as well as everything else she's recorded in her career.

--- Bill Mitchell