On her 11th solo album, Sue Foley proves she’s as vital a songwriter and guitar player as ever, taking on the challenge of recording it almost entirely live in the same studio where she recorded her debut album, 'Young Girl Blues,' for the Antone’s label back in 1992.
ALAN MESSER
On her 11th solo album, Sue Foley proves she’s as vital a songwriter and guitar player as ever, taking on the challenge of recording it almost entirely live in the same studio where she recorded her debut album, Young Girl Blues, for the Antone’s label back in 1992. A veteran of the Texas blues scene, Foley’s signature guitar sound and powerful voice have made her a showcase example of a female artist who flourished under the Antone’s mantle and established herself as one of the premier modern blues guitarists, following a long line of trailblazing women artists reaching back to Elizabeth Cotten and Memphis Minnie. Foley’s deep interest in how guitar playing was shaped by female players has also led her to conduct around 100 interviews over the last 15 years for a collection she hopes to turn into a book called Guitar Woman.
Recently, Foley has been a part of the live-from-Austin “Jungle Show” with Billy Gibbons and Jimmie Vaughan, both of whom guest on her new record, The Ice Queen. Others she enlisted for the album project include Charlie Sexton and Chris Layton, as well as members of the Tedeschi Trucks Band. “Everything was recorded at a studio right outside of Austin, so 90 percent of what you’re hearing was cut live,” says Foley. “Except for Billy’s guitar, vocal, and harp parts on ‘Fool’s Gold,’ you’re basically hearing the band in one room—even the horns. Our producer Mike Flanigin, the