Joanie and Combo Special - It Is What It Is (2009)

The new CD from Joanie Griffin and Combo Special is really something special.
It's fun, it's feel-good ... it's party time! The CD is infused with boogie-woogie and blues tracks but it rocks. The musicians are some of Albuquerque's best.
Griffin, the band's lead singer, has been belting out songs in New Mexico for years. On this album her voice still has her trademark brassy, driving quality, though she slurs some of the lyrics. Griffin's style is reminiscent of her friend and sometime singing partner Denise Brissey Cohen in her days with The Planets rock band.
Griffin covers "Love Like Blood" and Tom Petty's "Breakdown," then goes into high gear with originals like "Drive-by Heartache" and "I Got Faith," which she co-wrote with surehanded keyboardist Larry Freedman.
Freedman's keyboards— piano and organ— lend a soulful feel to the songs. With him are heavy-duty rhythm players— bassist Bob Barron and drummer Melvin Crisp, who is also the featured vocalist on the cut "Treat Her Right." (David Steinberg)