WHO LET THE GIRLS OUT?
WA Blues Society Newsletter

NOW HEAR THIS - Randy Reviews


POSTIVITELY ENTERTAINMENT - June/July 2005 Tippy Canoe Bar and Cee Cee James


FRONT PORCH - September/October 2004 - San Diego Troubadour -
Q & A with Cee Cee James

STU WINKELMAN - GUITARIST
San Diego, California

Cee Cee James delivers the punch of a two-ton truck dropped from the balcony...right onto your head. Her vocals are without a doubt some of the most gut-wrenching, hard-driving sounds to ever grace the blues. If she doesn't raise the hair on your arms, you ain't listening!

Cee cee James doesn't produce blues that you talk over or take lightly. She sings with a drive and delivery that makes you sit up and take notice. And when she is done, you may just be as drenched and drained as she is. Wow, don't miss a chance to see her wail. It is really something special!

Fans of Southern California's Christina Fasano, the former Funky White Girl who authored beautifully and spiritual yet amazingly sexy lyrics in her former release – ‘Spiritually Wet,’ will be absolutely and totally thrilled at her "new" direction and sound.

Reincarnated as Cee Cee James, Christina has actually incorporated some elements of the funk and sizzle from "Spiritually Wet" and combined them with gutsy, growling and passionate blues tunes on her recently recorded four-song demo.

Folks, just seconds into the first tune, Muddy Waters' (McKinley Morganfield) "Rock Me Baby" will convince you this woman was born to sing the blues. Although this tune was re-popularized by none other than Bonnie Raitt some years ago, Christina takes a back seat to nobody with her gritty rendition of this old blues standard. Backed by solid instrumentation, Christina works this song til it's black and blue then works it some more without ever wearing it out. Her voice runs from slinky and silky moaning and purring to gut-deep full-force growling reminiscent of Janis Joplin or Susan Tedeschi. And it sounds, oh, so goooooooooooood. There are only a few instances where Christina pushes the envelope just a tad too far. Overall, one word says it -- wow!

Next, Christina sings a children's poem -- you read that right – popularized by Stevie Ray Vaughan, and takes a bit of poetic license here and there to make "Mary Had a Little Lamb" an absolute delight to hear. There's the same mix of soft slur and rough-n-tumble vocals to keep it honest and continue with that bluesy sound.

"I Just Wanna Make Love to You," written by W. Dixon, and sung by Etta James and many others, is another tune she tackles with style and some finesse while keeping the original spirit of the tune very much alive.

Her last tune, called "I'll Take Care of You" by Brook Benton, recorded by Bobby Blue Bland and Etta James, is a much more slow and tender song where Christina's voice goes down a couple of notches to a soft and sexy drawl while still retaining its strength.

Whatever she calls herself these days, one thing's for sure: Cee Cee James/Christina Fasano-funkywhitegirl, it all adds up to the same things -- a voice that's passionate and drop-dead gorgeous with all the soul and spirit any human can express.

Get out the seatbelts -- when she gets going, it's gonna be a fantastic ride!


SAN DIEGO MUSIC MATTERS
If the soul of blues music needed a voice it would sing like Cee Cee James. If blues music needed a sultry mama with a kickin band to rock the blues, then look no further than the Cee Cee James Band. This band breathes the rock into roadhouse blues, carving themselves a promising niche in the SD blues scene.
Miss James is not a virgin to the local blues scene having started her career in music over 20 years ago. A wide range of influences from gospel to heavy metal have followed this musical rolling stone as she traveled around the country performing as her alter ego, Christina Fasano while making a name for herself in the 'funk scene' as the 'funkywhitegirl'. Finally deciding to combine these elements and go back to her roots, she transformed into Cee Cee James, formed a band comprised of genius musical minds and began doing what she was born to do, sing dem blues!
For a band that is deep in tradition and still able to rock you into the next century, check out the Cee Cee James Band.