Lou Ann Barton
Album: Read My Lips
Release Date: 1989
“Read My Lips” is the album fans waited a decade for Lou Ann Barton to record. It’s unadulterated Texas Roadhouse blues, and Lou Ann howls into the microphone with what the great Margaret Moser described as “a voice that can peel chrome from a trailer hitch.” Margaret had a gift with words, and once you’ve heard Lou Ann you understand how apt that description is.
This was a redemption album seven years in the making. Jerry Wexler and Glen Frey produced her first album, and they tore her away from her band and into the backwoods of Alabama to record with the legendary Muscle Shoals rhythm section. It did not sell well, and many local fans grumbled it was because they tried to mellow her sound and in the process lost the veracity that made her special. Moser summed it up by saying, “The Lou Ann we know lights fires with her Fort Worth twang, and on ‘Old Enough,’ she merely smolders.”
Lou Ann wasn’t going to smolder again on “Read My Lips.” Clifford Antone produced this album and he wanted to capture the vibrant energy Lou Ann brought to her live shows. The album sounds like it was recorded live in a Texas blues club because that is pretty much how they did it. (Technically, it was recorded at Arlyn Studios rather than a club, but the sound was intentional.) It’s a celebration of the talent coalescing at Antone’s during this era. Jimmie Vaughan, Derek O’Brien, Danny Freeman, and David Grissom all provide guitar work. David “Fathead” Newman, Joe Sublet, Mark Kazanoff, and Rocky Morales play saxophone. Jon Blondell and George Rains are constants on the bass and drums. Lou Ann is the unquestioned star.
She unleashes a vocal onslaught that earns her a position among the best that have ever done it. She wasn’t destined to be a household name, but she is one of the biggest fish to swim in the Austin pond. During one run, she won vocalist of the year at the Austin Music Awards three times in five years, and then they gave up and inducted her into the hall of fame. Lou Ann was reserved for Austin, and she was one of the key figures in establishing Austin’s reputation as a blues town. This album is special. If you have not heard it yet, you are about to listen to the best album you’ve never listened to before. If you’ve listened before, you know you are about to spend an evening with an old friend. Grab your Negroni, close your eyes, and picture yourself in a dimly lit blues club in Austin while an all-star collection of locals set the stage on fire.
The Negroni
The Negroni, a classic cocktail with a history spanning over a century, has its origins in Florence, Italy, where it was first crafted by Count Camillo Negroni. The simple recipe of equal parts Gin, Vermouth, and Campari merge to form bold and complex flavors.
The simple concoction has provided inspiration for generations of cocktails. Iterations of the Negroni itself could fill several menus. Amongst the many variations, Campari remains the single constant. When it comes to Campari, there is no suitable replacement. However, there is flexibility in choosing a Gin and Vermouth combination that suits your preferences. A traditional dry gin like Bombay Sapphire works nicely. Any sweet vermouth will suffice, but it’s preferable to honor the cocktail’s Italian heritage by using a native product. Cocchi is an excellent option.
Ingredients
- 1 oz Gin
- 1 oz Campari
- 1 oz Sweet Vermouth
Directions
- Add the Gin, Campari and Vermouth to a mixing glass filled with ice, stir until chilled.
- Strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube.
- Garnish with an orange peel.
