Cathy Grier Comin' Back To Me:

Playing songs with just your acoustic is certainly an art that some of us never master well enough to make a full album. Cathy Grier does not have that problem, whether playing fingerstyle blues, or mixing poppy chords with her strong voice.

There are some great songs here. The title cut features nasty slide and a great lyric. "Good Thing" is about as good as it gets. It's blues-mama heaven. She can definitely find her way around a boogie, with imaginative arrangements and some great follow through playing.

Lyrically, the songs that deal with relationships are the strongest. "What Fools Do" and "Stealing Hearts" tell great stories to go along with her fine acoustic accompaniment.

Grier plays all the music on this CD on her 1944 Gibson SJ guitar, and she definitely knows how to handle it. Her singing, brings out the feeling of the songs, especially, in the relationship-themed tunes. If you like folky, bluesy singer/songwriters, check it out.

John Heidt