There is a train called Cherry Lee Mewis, either get with it, or get left behind...
It's 2012. It's the third time around, and CHERRY LEE MEWIS means business. The 5ft-nothing, power-house singer songwriter has grabbed the musical bull by the horns, and together with her smokin' hot band including long time collaborator and guitarist Max Milligan, has produced an exquisite and exciting self-penned third studio album; the aptly titled Heard It Here First. An 11-track-breath-of-fresh-air in a somewhat predictable blues music scene. This album takes the solid roots of Cherry's debut album; 2007's Little Girl Blue and the foot-stomping vibe of her sophomore, 2009's Southbound Train, then pushes the boundaries even further, taking in the best of musical influences while still keeping that elusive Cherry Lee Mewis treatment that gives the record a real punch. But let's back-track a minute...
A whole two years have passed since Cherry's sophomore album, the critically acclaimed Southbound Train, which helped introduce a whole new audience to the dynamic sound of Cherry Lee Mewis, as well as exciting those that had stepped onto the Cherry train back in 2007 after Cherry's debut, Little Girl Blue. Southbound Train firmly secured Cherry's place as one of the rising stars on the UK Blues scene today, which has seen her share the stage with diverse artists such as Walter Trout, Robin Trower to Ronan Keating and The Quireboys, taking her music from the tiny clubs of Bedford, to festivals in the UK and Europe, such as Italy's Tropea Blues Festival, Shetland Blues Festival, The Barbican International Jazz & Blues Festival and Colne's Great British R'n'B Festival, naming just a few.
The winter of 2008 saw Cherry finally pack her bags for good and leave her tiny village hometown of Mochdre in north Wales, to her adopted home of Bedford.
"I've been making music here since I was 17, so it's not totally alien to me, but moving permanently away from family and loved ones was and it left me facing totally new life experiences..."
The winter of 2008 saw Cherry finally pack her bags for good and leave her tiny village hometown of Mochdre in north Wales, to her adopted home of Bedford.
"I've been making music here since I was 17, so it's not totally alien to me, but moving permanently away from family and loved ones was and it left me facing totally new life experiences..."
Cherry served her apprenticeship endlessly gigging in clubs and bars in her hometown from the age of 11, developing not only her powerful soulful voice, but her performance and style too. "The concept of expressing myself creatively from the age of 8 was something I was always intrigued and inspired to do...where as my mum would love motown and retro soul records, my dad would be more into the rock 'n' roll and the psychedelic, really obscure 60's stuff. He introduced me to Curved Air, Vashti Bunyan and Janis Joplin and because of that background, it enabled me to wrap myself around anything from a sweet soul ballad to a jazz song to noisy rock’n’roll..."
It wasn't until later on, that Cherry became immersed in blues.
On her debut, Little Girl Blue, Cherry along with long-time musical collaborator and guitarist, Max Milligan, re-arranged 11 early blues numbers, including songs by Memphis Minnie, Robert Johnson and Jelly Roll Morton, singing with raw power and emotion, hurt and pain. It also included Cherry's beautiful version of Jeff Buckley's 'Everybody Here Wants You' and a blues-belting rendition of the Janis Joplin classic, 'Mercedes Benz.' Janis being a big influence of Cherry.
"Many of the oldest blues records contain gritty, realistic lyrics, no censored versions! I put my whole self into every single one of these tracks, I feel like I'm inside of them...."
Her sophomore blues effort, Southbound Train, released October 2009, was a heady mix of original foot-stomping barnburners to bluesy slow-cooked rockers with a spoonful of jazzy shuffle and supported by a band of slick smokin' musicians.
Southbound Train was received with open arms citing comments such as "Southbound Train is here for fans of classic blues as polished as it is raw and untamed" (Maverick Magazine) and "For a UK blues album, Southbound Train is something of a killer..." (Blues & Rhythm Magazine), cementing Cherry's place on the UK blues scene - she was here to stay!
"With Southbound Train I was able to really show a more creative side as 8 original cuts made it onto the album, so I was able to show that I was a songwriter aswell, something I didn't do on Little Girl Blue."
Her songwriting prowess was showcased on the eight original tracks including the mandolin led 'Time Limits', the hauntingly powerful 'Dancing Like Diamonds' and crowd pleaser, the stompin' title track, 'Southbound Train'. All co-written with guitarist and co-producer, Max Milligan.
Accompanying Max on acoustic guitar are, Nicky Slater (dobro), Robbie Stewart-Mathews (double bass & backing vox) and Flow (drums), her 'Blues Gems' as she calls them; Cherry feels a real drive behind her at the live shows. "They sure as hell fuel my fire!" she laughs.
The start of 2012 will see Cherry's third studio album released, the aptly titled Heard It Here First due out February 20th and is Cherry's best work to date. Bursting full of brand new material, 9 of the 11 tracks are once again from the pen of Cherry and Max.
"I just can't wait to get this new record out there," enthuses Cherry, "it's been a good two years since we put something out there and I'm itching to hear people's reactions and see how it's received. I've written some pretty honest lyrics on this album so my heart and soul were truly poured into it!"
Like most great performers, Cherry is best experienced live and highlights of 2011 included opening up for Robin Trower, returning to the Mississippi with band member Nicky Slater to perform at the Market St Festival in downtown Columbus alongside US blues legend, Super Chikan, following on from her successful performance at 2010's Howlin' Wolf Memorial Festival in West Point, Mississippi. Being special guest of Blind Mississippi Morris in the legendary BB King's on the one and only Beale St, and rounding up 2011 by being personally asked by Paul Jones to perform three songs at his annual charity concert at Cranleigh Arts Centre in Surrey which saw Paul and his harmonica joining Cherry onstage for a song.
The great hobo bluesman himself, Seasick Steve says, "The only people who are going to keep the blues alive and kicking are the kids picking it up, these young bands out there - they got all the future."
"This is music I fall in love with on a daily basis!" concludes Cherry, "My music is all about a vibe and capturing that raw, stripped back sound that I love."
