Queen Esther – Talkin’ Fishbowl Blues

Queen Esther grew up in Georgia and then moved to Austin before landing in New York, where she’s worked in off-Broadway theater, cabaret, performance art, and musical projects from big-band swing to downtown trip-hop. But her first full-length album shows that her own preferences run toward traditions that have somewhat lacked for an African-American presence of late.

She calls her music “Black Americana” — I guess because nobody else was using the label — and makes it stick with a clutch of tastefully tuneful tracks that dabble in bluesy soul, pop, funk and country. Her cover of “Stand By Your Man” strips the song down to a weary woman’s blues without losing its twang.

Her press kit advertises a four-octave range, and she uses it with supple confidence. She can sound fearsomely huge, but she’s more prone to simmer than boil over. The songs, many co-written with producer Jack Sprat, are modest but memorable. Highlights include “Shine”, a bit of catchy, swaggering rock; the aching, lap-steel-driven “Taster’s Choice”; and the a cappella “Help Me”.

Lyrically, the songs don’t go much beyond “Love’s a funny thing that can make you feel so high,” but they don’t really need to either. The album is an implicit statement of its own — that however you slice up American roots music, those roots come in several shades.