Cathy Lemons and Johnny Ace jump out on Lemonace with soul-stirring blues. The production of the album gives a live, blues club feel to the sound—immediate, intimate, with just the right amount of reverb. Lemons’ vocals trade off in fine partnership with Ace’s. Each song is propelled forward by Ace’s bass with Pierre Le Corre, Kid Andersen, and Tommy Castro providing guitar. If at first paid attention to Lemonace because of seeing Castro’s name attached to it, and any project graced by the power blues rock of Castro’s guitar has got to be good. However, more than Castro’s appearance on two tracks, Le Corre and Andersen play some mean lead guitar as well.

“Sink or Swim” cruises along with a soul blues with Ace’s raps setting the stage. There’s the jump blues of “I Got It” with its great bass/guitar riff further charged up by the crisp drums of Artie “Stix” Chavez. “Love Like a Fire” is a sweltering soul whose bridge finds Le Corre really tearing up the place.

Cathy Lemons and Johnny Ace
Vizztone