Kris Wiley

Kris Wiley

Genres: blues, blues rock, female blues artist, female vocalist

Similar artists via Last.fm

Blues de Garrafa Mats Sannetorp Trampled Under Foot Deborah Coleman Dudley Taft

About Kris Wiley

KRIS WILEY "BREAKING THE RULES" JSP RECORDS One of the more exciting trends in blues music this decade has been the growing number of women guitarists fronting their own bands. Not too long ago it seemed like Bonnie Raitt was the only guitar playing blueswoman out there on a major label. Now there’s Sue Foley, Debbie Davies, Joanna Connor, Deborah Coleman, Susan Tedeschi and others. Joining the list is Kris Wiley who is a singer/songwriter, and lead guitarist from Redondo Beach, California. Her new CD on the very respected JSP record label is loaded with original material. As is the case with many west coast blues bands, Kris has a large ensamble cast backing her. There are eight other musicians involved in this project including a three piece horn section. The production by Jimmy Morello is crisp and clean. There’s plenty of room for all the musicians to shine. Most of the songs on the disc are about relationships gone wrong. The opening track called "Countdown To Heartache" is a case in point. Other songs such as "Faith In The Wrong People," "Bad Situation," and "Two Timin’ Man" all follow this theme. Another song along these lines is a ballad called "Working Late." This is a beautiful song done in a classic blues style. Kris plays her best guitar on this tune which is the centerpiece of the CD. There are two excellent intrumentals among the ten tracks. "Two Long Leg" is a dancable swing blues number while "Iceman - One For Albert" is a tribute to the late great Albert Collins. Is there a blues guitarist anywhere who hasn’t been influenced by Albert Collins? Kris does a great job on this one as she really does sound alot like Albert. "Breaking The Rules" is actually Kris’ second disc in the past year. She has an independant release called "Old, New, Borrowed, And Blue," a copy of which ended up in the hands of Jimmy Morello who in turn passed it along to JSP owner John Stedman. The rest, as they say, is history. With a great voice and some serious guitar chops we should be hearing alot more from Kris Wiley in the coming years. - Bill Harriman Sound Waves Magazine: Kris Wiley "Breaking All The Rules JSP Records “Kris Wiley” - produced by Carla Olson Originally from Redondo Beach, California Kris quickly made a name for herself in the 90s in the South Bay and then in the rest of Southern California and across the U.S. and in Europe. She released two albums, “Old, New, Borrowed And Blue” and “Breaking The Rules” played in New York, Chicago, Nashville, Memphis and then disappeared. And now here we are, “Kris Wiley” - produced by Carla Olson who has also produced albums by Jake Andrews, Barry Goldberg, Paul Jones, Chubby Tavares, Phil Upchurch, Joe Louis Walker, as well as individual tracks by Sugar Blue, Rocky Burnette, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Taj Mahal, Otis Rush, Kim Wilson, Brenton Wood. For the record her inspirations were the Kings (Albert, B.B. and Freddie) as well as Albert Collins. A favorite quote, “I like jazz but it doesn’t affect my soul like the blues.” A few reviewer observations: “Wiley is the most promising female blues guitarist to emerge since Bonnie Raitt,” Los Angeles Times. “You should check her out not because she’s a female guitarist but because she’s a damn good player,” Vintage Guitar Magazine “She made my jaw and everyone standing next to me just drop to the floor… There is an energy so strong… blazing, ripping intense sounds. The tone, the feel, the choice of notes are truly authentic. A true love for the blues.” Lou Laurenti, Southern California Blues “There’s a new star on the R&B music horizon,” Ronald Vaughn, Rock City Continental Record Services: Kris Wiley

Taken from Last.fm

450 listeners  ·  2,146 plays via Last.fm