Gulf Coast Records [Release date 13.11.26]

‘Mother’ is a well honed and passionately sung conceptual rock-blues debut album from a New York based, Arizona raised vocalist, who makes the most of some cross-genre impulses to broach funk, soul and Americana.

She champions the spirit of independence and resilience in general, and different generations of women in particular.

It’s also very much a band album with enough musical variety to mirror shifting emotions and lyrical content.

And the creative input is completed by producer Zach Allen, who taps into Kelli’s vocal potential and emotional vulnerability, to bring out her best performances within a band context.

Stylistically, it’s an album rooted in rock-blues, but with an unerring eye on Americana. It’s a song driven project given its essence by her vocal versatility and emotional integrity.

The fact she’s opted for rock-blues as her main genre means she finds herself in a crowded market place, ranging from salient influences such as Bonnie Raitt – the presence of Noé Socha’s excellent slide work seals that connection- and the passion of Susan Tedeschi.

She might also be compared to contemporaries vocalists such as Dana Fuchs, Beth Hart, Sari Shorr, Layla Zoe, Teresa James, the somewhat smoother Jan James, and even the more raucous Sass Jordan, who shared the ‘Rats’ album title of Kelli’s new single.

But it’s her willingness to tap into raw emotions and infuse her material with unfiltered self expression that singles her out as different.

The intuitive arrangements and organic live feel invests her material with sufficient edge and soulful energy.

She sets out her stall on the brusque opening riff-driven rock of ‘Bad Mothers’, the first visceral piece of a conceptual musical jigsaw.

Her use of subtle dynamics and contrast focuses extra attention on the swampy ‘Broken Baby Blues’. It’s a song full of tremolo guitar, Peter Levin’s subtle organ and her own unexpected line of jazzy phrasing.

The album’s inherent flow is given its widest perspective on the slow building, Country tinged ‘Broken Bones’, complete with echo-laden tones, aching slide, a stop-time chorus, and cinematic lyrics: “I’ve Been running on broken bones, I’ve been driving empty highways.”

And just when you think she’s settled for understated musical familiarity, she attacks the song with emotional gusto at the 3.24 mark.

There’s a similar rootsy feel to the Mambo influenced ‘A Pen Is A Gun’, on a blend of cool organ, tremolo guitar, whispered vocals and keen percussive support, with shades of Beth Hart in her phrasing.

It’s a measure of her confidence that she dominates the songs while leaving plenty of a room for her sterling band in thoughtful arrangements.

The album’s twists and turns are further illustrated by the funky and tightly wrapped ‘American Running’ which features Keb Mo on congas, as it cleverly evokes the tension of daily life in the rat race.

And having set out her musical template, she almost over sings on the shrill bluesy feel of ‘Sawdust and Stones.’

‘Wasp is a more languid blues featuring Levin’s fender Rhodes solo, while she’s more naturally drawn to the raucous rock of the lead single ‘Rats’, on which the biting refrain and gnawing guitar line amplifies the theme of greed.

Everything seems to flow into the outstanding ‘Mad Man’, a full band work out on a riff driven piece with an organ sweep and Noé Socha ‘s mesmerising slide work.

The combination of the song’s core riff and Kelli’s animated vocal bites hard and simply won’t let go.

And just when you think ‘Mad Man’ is at good as it gets, she finishes with ‘Hymn’, a raw and emotionally charged blues rocker. It’s beautifully counterweighted by a gospel infused arrangement featuring the angelic harmonies of The McCrary Sisters (Ann, Regina & Alfreda).

Kelli soars one last time, to belt out her blues with real passion on a closing track which builds imperiously into a Pink Floyd influenced anthemic finish.

‘Mother’ is an impressive debut album that works hard to nail a unique DNA. The fact that Kelli Baker is able to cross genres effortlessly, while musically illuminating her heartfelt lyrics, tells you all you need to know about the essential qualities of a passion singer. ****

Review by Pete Feenstra

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

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Josh now hosts “Taerk’s Tracks” as part of the Singer Songwriter Sunday sequence on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio.

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Power Plays w/c 26 October 2026

BLACK RIVER DELTA Shame On You (Despotz Records)
DAYTONA Listen To The Silence (Escape Music)
SUCKERTRAP Sacred Lies (indie)
WOOD BURNT RED Count My Blessings (indie)
BLACKLIST UNION Heavy Is The Crown (indie)

Featured Albums w/c 26 October 2026

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Singer Songwriter)

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