I’ve seen a lot of album covers in my time, but I can honestly say that this one is the first that I’ve seen with a woman in a boxing outfit. Gotta admit I was a bit concerned, but once I took a listen to honey toned vocalist Eugenie Jones on this collection of (mostly)self-penned tunes, I felt like the music hit me on the button.
Her earlier album, Black Lace and Blue Tears was beaut, but this one is even more impressive. She teams up with at the ring side with Bill Anschell/p, Clipper Anderson/b, D’Vonne Lewis/dr as well as guests Jay Thomas/tp-ts, Michael Powers/g and Ernesto Pediangco/perc and ok
She displays her rich voice with Anschell before letting the team in on “Swing Me” where her voice sticks and moves like she’s in the ring. Her sense of timing on her lyrics as on the standard “All Of Me” or the clever “Bye Bye Blackbird” has her bobbing and weaving, while she delivers a straight right on “24/7” where she pulls no punches and puts the real role of a man in its proper place. She upper cuts James Brown’s “It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World” by taking it from a woman’s perspective and shows ring generalship through this tune and as well as on the sensuous “I Could Get Lost In Your Eyes.” She has a sensitive way about her lyrics that are beyond the standard topics, and delivers them with classy jabs before delivering the knockout punch. A unanimous decision here for a lady who wins every round
Openmic Records