Regina Bonelli - Truth Hurts (2022)

Singer and keyboardist Regina Bonelli sings like a lady not to be messed with on this road rage collection of blues rockers. She’s backed by a swampy cast of Tomas Doncker/g, Mark Henry/sax, Kevin Jenkins/b, James Dellatocama/g, Nick Rolfe/key, Leroy Thompson/dr and guest Michael Hampton/g for a no holds barred collection of originals and bluesy covers. Of the latter, she hits the floor hard on a foot stomping dramatic take of Willie Dixon’s “Killing Floor” while she growls over the humming Hammond on the dark and harrowing take of Greg Allman’s “Cross to Bear”. The guitar strings chirp around with thick framework as she tells a tail on “Mama Raised a Sweet Thing” while she howls at the moon around the twangy strings of the C&W ish “Mr. Big Man”. She simmers like sausage in the frying pan on the slow and steamy ballad “Baby Don’t Hurt Me” and rocks steady for “I Got To Go”. Check for all your hubcaps when you leave one of her gigs; it’s a rough neighborhood!