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==Production==

==Production==

Recorded in Munich, the album was produced by Connor.<ref name=PG/><ref name=MH/> She was influenced by [[Taj Mahal (musician)|Taj Mahal]] to use slide guitar on most of the songs, all of which she wrote.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Knopper |first1=Steve |title=Joanna Connor Adds a Rock Edge to the Blues |work=Chicago Tribune |date=December 26, 1997 |department=Friday |page=26}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Carter |first1=Nick |title=Connor sings in shades of blue |work=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |date=April 10, 1998 |department=Cue |page=12}}</ref> The title track addresses body image issues.<ref>{{cite news |last1=McKeough |first1=Kevin |title=Joanna Connor Sings the Blues, but Not Traditional Blues |work=Chicago Tribune |date=June 23, 2000 |department=Friday |page=18}}</ref> “43rd St.” is about Connor’s days playing in [[Dion Payton]]’s band.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Dicaire |first1=David |title=More Blues Singers: Biographies of 50 Artists from the Later 20th Century |date=2015 |publisher=McFarland, Inc. |page=192}}</ref> “Sweet Baby” is dedicated to Connor’s son.<ref name=MH/>

Recorded in Munich, the album was produced by Connor.<ref name=PG/><ref name=MH/> She was influenced by [[Taj Mahal (musician)|Taj Mahal]] to use slide guitar on most of the songs, all of which she wrote.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Knopper |first1=Steve |title=Joanna Connor Adds a Rock Edge to the Blues |work=Chicago Tribune |date=December 26, 1997 |department=Friday |page=26}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Carter |first1=Nick |title=Connor sings in shades of blue |work=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |date=April 10, 1998 |department=Cue |page=12}}</ref> The title track addresses body image issues.<ref>{{cite news |last1=McKeough |first1=Kevin |title=Joanna Connor Sings the Blues, but Not Traditional Blues |work=Chicago Tribune |date=June 23, 2000 |department=Friday |page=18}}</ref> “43rd St.” is about Connor’s days playing in [[Dion Payton]]’s band.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Dicaire |first1=David |title=More Blues Singers: Biographies of 50 Artists from the Later 20th Century |date=2015 |publisher=McFarland, Inc. |page=192}}</ref> “Sweet Baby” is dedicated to Connor’s son.<ref name=MH/>

==Critical reception==

==Critical reception==

Latest revision as of 15:07, 2 December 2025

1996 studio album by Joanna Connor

Big Girl Blues is an album by the American musician Joanna Connor, released in 1996.[1][2] She supported it with a North American tour.[3]

Recorded in Munich, the album was produced by Connor.[4][5] She was influenced by Taj Mahal to use slide guitar on most of the songs, all of which she wrote.[6][7] The title track addresses body image issues.[8] “43rd St.” is about Connor’s days playing in Dion Payton‘s band.[9] “Sweet Baby” is dedicated to Connor’s son.[5] “Smoke It Up” was played in a reggae style.[10]

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch stated, “Connor plays fast a incredibly fast sometimes a and doesn’t leave much white space in her songs. She’s definitely nimble, but at the same time sounds good and dirty.”[16] Stereo Review concluded that there are times when Connor “recalls both the gut-wrenching and the softas-butter-in-July sides of Janis Joplin.”[17] The Sarasota Herald-Tribune dismissed the album as blues rock and urged Connor to “stick to what she does best standard, 8- and 12-bar blues overlaid with a rich, emotionally restrained guitar and a shimmering slide highlights”.[18]

The Houston Chronicle noted that the songs “begin to reveal a woman, not just some blues mama acting macho.”[15] The Commercial Appeal called the album “lowdown bar blues in the best sense”.[13] The Buffalo News listed Big Girl Blues as the third best blues album of 1996; the St. Louis Post-Dispatch listed it as the fifth.[19][20]

Title
1. “Big Girl Blues”  
2. “43rd St.”  
3. “Fly Away”  
4. “They Love Each Other”  
5. “Sweet Baby”  
6. “You Should Be My Lover”  
7. “Sister Spirit”  
8. “You Oughta Know”  
9. “Heart of the Blues”  
10. “Juicy”  
11. “Meditations”  
12. “Smoke It Up”  
  1. ^ Komara, Edward, ed. (2006). Encyclopedia of the Blues. Vol. 1. Routledge. p. 223.
  2. ^ Pensinger, Matt (December 20, 1996). “Connor boldly blazes new blues trails”. Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph. p. AA14.
  3. ^ Violanti, Anthony (November 1, 1996). “Growing Up”. The Buffalo News. p. G30.
  4. ^ a b The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin Books. 2006. p. 131.
  5. ^ a b c MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 88.
  6. ^ Knopper, Steve (December 26, 1997). “Joanna Connor Adds a Rock Edge to the Blues”. Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. 26.
  7. ^ Carter, Nick (April 10, 1998). “Connor sings in shades of blue”. Cue. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. p. 12.
  8. ^ McKeough, Kevin (June 23, 2000). “Joanna Connor Sings the Blues, but Not Traditional Blues”. Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. 18.
  9. ^ Dicaire, David (2015). More Blues Singers: Biographies of 50 Artists from the Later 20th Century. McFarland, Inc. p. 192.
  10. ^ Watness, Philip (May 2, 1997). “Connor control: Blues with just the right amount of heat”. ETO. The Olympian. p. 4.
  11. ^ All Music Guide to the Blues (3rd ed.). Backbeat Books. 2003. p. 126.
  12. ^ Kislluk, Bill (March 21, 1997). “Off the Record”. The Boston Phoenix. p. 44.
  13. ^ a b Ellis, Bill (December 7, 1996). “Recordings”. The Commercial Appeal. p. C2.
  14. ^ Oulette, Dan (March 1997). “Big Girl Blues”. DownBeat. Vol. 64, no. 3. p. 57.
  15. ^ a b Racine, Marty (December 1, 1996). “Recordings”. Zest. Houston Chronicle. pp. 6, 14.
  16. ^ BeDell, Andrew (January 9, 1997). “Big Girl Blues Joanna Connor”. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 8.1.
  17. ^ Albertson, Chris (March 1997). “Big Girl Blues”. Stereo Review. Vol. 62, no. 3. p. 78.
  18. ^ Welin, Joel (June 27, 1997). “Big girl, bigger guitar”. Ticket. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. p. 3.
  19. ^ Beebe, Michael (December 9, 1996). “CDs”. The Buffalo News. p. B6.
  20. ^ Kuelker, Michael (December 13, 1996). “Top Albums: Post Picks”. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 4E.

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