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* The Sound Cafe – Steve Connor
With a fresh name but familiar, unstoppable energy, Angelica Jones is here to reignite blues and rock fans alike. Formerly known as the Angelina Hunter Trio, this powerhouse band has officially rebranded, yet they haven’t lost a beat — or their signature rawness.
At the heart of Angelica Jones is an undeniable synergy: a relentless, soulful sound fueled by gritty guitar riffs, blues-soaked vocals, and a rhythm section that propels each song to new heights.
Led by Angelica, whose searing guitar riffs and soulful voice leave an unforgettable mark, the band has redefined themselves without compromising their roots. Angelica has a way of making any venue feel intimate, only to blow it wide open with her voice alone. Her guitar, a well-worn Stratocaster, is her partner in crime, delivering everything from sultry blues to hard-hitting, feedback-drenched solos. She’s backed by two equally talented musicians: Sandy Hunter on drums, whose beats ground the music with unwavering power, and Adam Bell on bass, whose grooves give their sound a thrilling edge.
Their journey as Angelica Jones has already set them on a soaring trajectory, following a nomination for Best New Group at the 2024 Maple Blues Awards. Their live shows, marked by gritty authenticity and impeccable musicianship, have captivated audiences at major festivals, including the Kitchener Blues Festival, Orangeville Blues and Jazz Festival, and Ottawa Bluesfest, among others. It’s not just blues they’re bringing—Angelica Jones’s music crosses boundaries, showcasing an eclectic mix of rock, blues, and heartfelt ballads that draws listeners in.
Their latest album, Let It Slide, released in September 2023, epitomizes this versatility. The tracks are a genre-crossing journey: from the rock swagger of “Crispy Bill” and the nostalgic power of “Back in 73” to the ethereal melodies in “Wait for Tomorrow” and “Hard to Breathe.” The album’s title track, “Let It Slide,” rolls along like a long drive, blending blues vibes with a rootsy, expansive sound. Angelica’s vocals shift effortlessly between storytelling warmth and fierce intensity, while her guitar adds a jagged edge that’s both mesmerizing and powerful. Sandy and Adam round out the sound with an intensity that matches Angelica’s every note, creating a musical storm that’s as controlled as it is wild.
In September 2024, Angelica Jones released the single Sunday Morning, an intensely raw, soulful track that brings out the vulnerability in Angelica’s voice and guitar. Shortly after, they dropped “12 Feet Tall,” a song packed with blues-rock attitude, accompanied by a striking video created with longtime collaborator Nadav Santo. The video amplifies the song’s energy and encapsulates the raw, unfiltered spirit of Angelica Jones. “‘12 Feet Tall’ speaks to that feeling of invincibility, yet there’s always someone out there who’s larger than life,” Angelica reflects, capturing the bold yet humble spirit that defines her and the band.
The transformation from the Angelina Hunter Trio to Angelica Jones signifies more than just a name change — it’s a reawakening, a bold stride forward. Angelica Jones captures the essence of modern blues with a fresh lens, blending traditional influences with a contemporary edge that connects with audiences old and new. Their live shows are known to bring audiences to their feet, leaving an impression that lingers long after the last note fades. It’s a journey of reinvention and reclamation, staying true to their heart while bringing a new, vital energy to the Canadian blues scene.
Catch “12 Feet Tall” and Let It Slide streaming on all major platforms, and keep an eye out for their next electrifying performance. Angelica Jones isn’t just here to play the blues—they’re here to redefine it.
* Ottawa Citizen : Angelina Hunter Trio drops ‘milestone’ vinyl album
by Lynn Saxberg, Published Sep 26, 2023
Ottawa-area musician Angelina Hunter has a sun-filled room in her home that’s devoted to listening to music — and it’s reserved for music on vinyl only, the cumbersome format of the last century that’s had a surprising resurgence in recent years.
For Hunter, a soulful singer and fiery guitarist, it’s a relaxing hobby that not only allows the busy mom and full-time government worker to unwind, but also lets her focus on the intricacies of the music in her collection, which ranges from old-school vinyl LPs from the 1970s to modern releases by the likes of Gary Clark Jr. and Adele.
“I really like being able to hold a full album in my hands and look at the artwork and follow the lyrics,” Hunter says, “and I’ve always been one who enjoys listening from beginning to end because I know how much thought and effort bands put into the order of their songs and the flow of the album. I like the hiss and crackle, too, and I find the sound is warmer.”
The problem is that none of her own music has ever been available on vinyl — until now. Let It Slide, this year’s second album by the Angelina Hunter Trio, is the first vinyl recording in a music career that started almost 20 years ago. The trio will celebrate the release Friday during a double bill with Jesse Greene, another female singer-guitarist from Ottawa with a knack for high-octane blues-rock.
“Vinyl is a big-time milestone for us,” Hunter said in a recent interview. “It’s something we’ve been tossing around the idea of doing but it was so difficult to get. We wanted to do it with our first album but there was a shortage of vinyl.”
With the vinyl supply replenished during the pandemic, Hunter and her bandmates — husband Sandy Hunter on drums and Adam Bell on bass — decided to take the plunge with the album they recorded at Dean Watson’s Buckingham studio last spring, which was released digitally on June 3.
It’s not exactly a pandemic project, although some of the writing happened around that time, and a few demos were recorded in the Hunters’ basement so the songs wouldn’t be forgotten. Songwriting is usually a collaborative process that involves all three band members.
One song, however, proved to be a challenge. It just didn’t feel right, Angelina says, no matter what they did with it.
“Then we had a crazy idea,” she says. “‘What if we turn it into two songs?’ So we took the chord progressions and turned it into a slow ballad called Sun Never Sets, and we took the riff and wrote a whole new song, Let It Slide, a really cool, driving tune. It came together and because it happened so last minute, it really made it feel fresh when we were recording it.”
Hunter has been playing guitar since she was a child. She remembers asking her parents for lessons as a gift for her 10th birthday, even though she’d never actually seen the instrument in person. Her first memory of watching someone play was when Marty McFly saved the day in the classic movie, Back to the Future.
Young Angie took lessons with Ottawa musician Dave Milliken at the now-closed Ottawa Folklore Centre and loved the experience, saying he taught her in a way that allowed her to learn quickly. “Then I found Stevie Ray Vaughan, and that changed everything,” she recalls. “It flipped my whole world. It was so awesome.”
Another experience that led to her love of blues and blues-rock was going to shows with her father at the now-closed club, Tucson’s. She was 11 when Dad, a blues fan, convinced the doorman to let her in, and the pair started a routine of catching the first set of the Friday night gigs.
Also part of her musical evolution was Bluesfest’s Blues in the Schools program, which led to the formation of a band with her brother, Ben Russell. As teenagers, their group won BITS’ band competition. The two siblings also played together for more than a decade in Bluestone, a professional recording and touring act. Hunter taught music for years, too, including several years as one of the BITS teachers.
About 10 years ago, Hunter and her husband decided they wanted to start a family, and Hunter — who now has two kids in elementary school — soon realized she needed to get away from working nights and weekends. She landed a day job but then wasn’t happy without music in her life. They formed the Angelina Hunter Trio in 2017 and won the Ottawa Blues Society’s best-band contest, earning a trip to Memphis in 2018 to compete in the International Blues Challenge. Their first album, Roll With It, came out later that year.
“I realized I can’t not play music. I always have to keep playing,” says Hunter. “I don’t feel right if I don’t.”
Angelina Hunter Trio, 8 p.m.
With the Jesse Greene Band, 9:30 p.m.
Sept. 29, Overflow Brewing Company, 2477 Kaladar Ave.
Tickets: $20 advance at overflowbeer.com, or $25 at the door. Doors open at 7 p.m.
lsaxberg@postmedia.com
* “Let it Slide” Album Review
Band/Artist: Angelina Hunter Trio
Album Title: Let It Slide
Label: Independent
Genre: Classic Blues Rock
Band Line-Up:
Angelina Hunter – Vocals, Guitars
Adam Bell – Bass
Sandy Hunter – Drums
CD Track Listing:
- Back In 73′
- Crispy Bill
- Wait For Tomorrow
- Let It Slide
- The Sun Never Sets
- Show Me A Sign
- Off The Line
- Hard To Breathe
Hailing from Ottawa, Canada, we find Classic Blues Rockers
ANGELINA HUNTER TRIO and they have an excellent new eight track album out now called ‘Let It Slide’ which clocks in at around forty minutes long and is the band’s third release. I must say I am most impressed with this; the songs grab your attention from the start and don’t let up, thus this ends up as one of the best releases out there in the current blues rock scene.
The album opens up with the energetic groove based classic hard rocker ‘Back In 73‘. The band sounds fabulous and Angelina has an amazing vocal range that at times oozes Tina Turner, Samantha Fish and Beth Hart.
I adore the track ‘Crispy Bill‘, this is a solid gutsy melodic blues rocker, vibrant and catchy with fabulous vocals from Angelina. I love her range here and if the band want to send one song to the radio shows, then it should be this fiery groove-based nugget, the guitar work is on fire man.
Next up is the catchy yet soulful ballad ‘Wait For Tomorrow‘, I love the way Angelina sings the song, its organic with a solid groove.
‘Let It Slide‘ cranks the hard blues rock back up to eleven, this is another excellent song with complicated guitar work, laced with solid bass playing from Adam Bell. It is a dynamic classic hard rocker yet subtle where it needs to be as the song moves up and down. Once again Angelina sounds amazing, kinda like Alannah Myles on this one jamming with Nancy Wilson. This is one of my favourite songs on the album, its sexy and groove based.
The electric sexy slow burning guitar blues rock jam oriented ‘The Sun Never Sets‘ is an electrified blues nugget with huge soulful vocals, and for me personally is the best song of the album. The delivery of this whole song is nothing short of perfection, it begs the question why aren’t Angelina and the band stars? The vocals are mind blowing powerful, but without losing the edge of this beauty, there’s even a slight Janis Joplin raspiness in the vocals, and her guitar playing is jaw droppingly outstanding.
This song showcases again the musician’s diversity, the whole band here are on fire and during the song they get into a jam style vibe that is just awe inspiring, a treat to the ears. Live this song must be sensational, glorious stuff and my favourite song on the album.
The groove smoothness of ‘Show Me A Sign‘ is another cracking fun song, whilst ‘Off The Line‘ offers a catchier edge, again blues and groove based with lots of swagger.
The last song the album is the albums obligatory ballad ‘Hard To Breathe‘. The song is melodic and subtle with heartfelt passionate vocals from our leading lady. There is a lot going on here and again has a seventies Heart vibe and is a superb ending, check out the backing singers during the chorus.
Overall then ‘Let It Slide’ is a huge album, it’s got everything fans of any of the above artists and styles will enjoy, only slicker and delivered with energy and passion. The band need to get over here for some shows and build up their profile as soon as they can, for now get this album ordered, this blows away any of the current cream of female blues rockers, thanks to Angelina’s skilful guitar style and massive yet beautiful vocal deliveries, not to mention her band, together there is a sense of enjoyment from start to finish, it’s about the music baby, and as a result this is an album you will return to time and time again. One of the best albums of 2023. Highly recommended.
* Ottawa Citizen: ‘Over the moon’: Ottawa’s Angelina Hunter gets her first Maple Blues Award nomination by Lynn Saxberg, Published Nov 03, 2023
Angelina Hunter, a powerhouse blues-rock singer guitarist whose band – Angelina Hunter Trio (consisting of Sandy Hunter on drums, left, and Adam Bell on bass) releases their first vinyl LP
“We’re over the moon,” she said in an interview. “It’s such an honour. I was completely speechless. It was the first time ever I had nothing to say.”
The Angelina Hunter Trio is in the running for best new group in this year’s awards, a nod that elevates the blues-rockers to a national level and is sure to expand their audience, whether or not they win.
“It’s very exciting, the prospect of opening up doors for us,” Hunter said. “Just to be on that list with all of those other artists that we hope to have the chance to play with in the future is amazing.”
At the top of the pile of nominees are Toronto’s funky Blackburn Brothers, leading the way with a record-setting nine nominations in the 27th annual edition of the awards.
But there’s a healthy representation of Ottawa talent up for accolades, too. In addition to Hunter, the list includes familiar names like Steve Marriner, Tony ‘D’ Diteodoro, Matt Sobb, Angelique Francis and Sue Foley.
In fact, it’s a big year for Foley as the Texas-based guitarist is being recognized for her long career with a nomination in the lifetime-achievement category, dubbed the Blues with a Feeling award. Her career began in her teenage years, when the Ottawa-born musician started showing up at local blues jams in the early 1980s.
Foley is also up for electric act of the year and best guitarist, which finds her facing off against another Ottawa guitar hero, Diteodoro, a member of the blues trio MonkeyJunk. His MonkeyJunk bandmates, Steve Marriner and Matt Sobb, are also nominated: Marriner has a chance at best male vocalist and best harmonica player, while Sobb is vying for best drummer.
Still, as Hunter observes, musicians don’t play blues to become global superstars, and the awards program is a rare opportunity for Canadian musicians to get wider recognition.
“To keep going in the music industry requires a level of dedication,” she said. “Think about how many blues clubs there are across Canada, and blues bands playing music and working hard for years, as we’ve been doing. It’s not about making millions of dollars, it’s about getting the chance to play and share your music. To get be part of the awards and be recognized as an artist to watch — this is literally what we’ve been working towards our whole musical careers.”
Hunter and her bandmates — husband Sandy Hunter on drums and Adam Bell on bass — plan to celebrate the nomination at their gig at the Rainbow Bistro on Friday, Nov. 3. After that, she’s already thinking about what to wear to the awards ceremony, to be held at Toronto’s Phoenix Theatre on Feb. 12.
* Blast Toronto: And the Winner is….
Publish Feb 14th, 2024 by Joe Taylor
And the Winner is… Re: The Maple Blues Awards Review
