Hot Flash is an album by the American musical trio Saffire – The Uppity Blues Women, released in 1991.[1][2] It was their second album for Alligator Records and one of the label's best selling titles.[3][4] The trio supported the album with a North American tour.[5] Hot Flash also served as the title of a 2008 documentary about the trio.[6]
| Hot Flash | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1991 | |||
| Studio | Streeterville | |||
| Genre | Blues | |||
| Label | Alligator | |||
| Producer | Saffire, Bruce Iglauer | |||
| Saffire – The Uppity Blues Women chronology | ||||
| ||||
Production
editThe songs were written by the trio, with Gaye Adegbalola penning the more humorous ones.[7] Billy Branch contributed on harmonica.[8] "Sloppy Drunk" is a cover of the Lucille Bogan song.[9] "Why Don't You Do Right?" is a version of the song made famous by Lil Green.[10] "(No Need) Pissin' on a Skunk" lambasts a coworker.[9] "Dirty Sheets" is about the longings of women working in nursing homes and hotels.[11] "Torch Song #1 / Torch Song #2" is addressed to a dying friend.[12]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [13] |
| Calgary Herald | B+[14] |
| Chicago Tribune | [10] |
| Robert Christgau |  [15] |
| MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide | [16] |
| North County Blade-Citizen |  [17] |
| The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings | [18] |
| The Philadelphia Inquirer | [19] |
The Washington Post determined that "when the trio fails, it merely pushes the same naughty buttons it pushed last time around—buttons that, incidentally, work far better in concert than they do on record."[8] The Calgary Herald called the album "a roadhouse mentality urban blues collection."[14] The New York Times wrote that "Saffire's raunchy blues extol the virtues of gratifying sex, nights on the town and the benefits of nonmonogamous relationships; the group's songs are laced with double-entendres and bawdy language."[20] The Pittsburgh Press noted that "the blues are usually not offered in such fine harmonies."[21]
AllMusic wrote: "Racy and sassy—and to some tastes cutesy—the album is a fun, free-thinking update of classic female blues, performed with gusto and verve."[13]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Two in the Bush Is Better Than One in the Hand" | |
| 2. | "Sloppy Drunk" | |
| 3. | "One Good Man" | |
| 4. | "Dirty Sheets" | |
| 5. | "Tom Cat Blues" | |
| 6. | "Learn to Settle for Less" | |
| 7. | "You'll Never Get Me Out of Your Mind" | |
| 8. | "(Mr. Insurance Man) Take Out That Thing" | |
| 9. | "Hopin' It'll Be Alright" | |
| 10. | "A Little Bit of Your Loving Goes a Very Long Way" | |
| 11. | "Shopping for Love" | |
| 12. | "Elevator Man" | |
| 13. | "Torch Song #1 / Torch Song #2" | |
| 14. | "Why Don't You Do Right?" | |
| 15. | "Prove Me Wrong" | |
| 16. | "(No Need) Pissin' on a Skunk" |
References
edit- ^ Alkyer, Frank (Sep 1991). "Hot Flash by Saffire—Uppity Blues Women". DownBeat. Vol. 58, no. 9. p. 41.
- ^ Schoemer, Karen (Aug 1991). "Sound Advice — Hot Flash by Saffire—The Uppity Blues Women". Interview. Vol. 21, no. 8. p. 50.
- ^ Heim, Chris (26 Apr 1991). "Alligator blues". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. P.
- ^ "Make plans for an Uppity farewell show". The Daily Progress. Charlottesville. 20 Feb 2009.
- ^ Lloyd, Jack (23 Aug 1991). "Saffire, Three Gems, Unpolished". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. D1.
- ^ Earnest, Mark (10 June 2009). "Acoustic blueswomen go out on high note". Reno Gazette-Journal. p. G4.
- ^ Campbell, Rod (7 Aug 1991). "Bold, bawdy and beguiling blues". Edmonton Journal. p. D12.
- ^ a b Joyce, Mike (3 May 1991). "Saffire's Place: Naughty Settings". The Washington Post. p. N19.
- ^ a b Gettelman, Parry (10 Jan 1992). "Saffire Strikes a Chord with Blues Fans". Calendar. Orlando Sentinel. p. 13.
- ^ a b Litweiler, John (13 Jun 1991). "Recordings". Chicago Tribune. p. 5.7.
- ^ Yasiejko, Christopher (10 Aug 2007). "Some blues acts will be downright 'uppity'". The News Journal. p. Z12.
- ^ Goff, Paula H. (27 Jul 1991). "Records". The Morning Call. p. A65.
- ^ a b "Hot Flash Review by Thom Owens". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
- ^ a b Wagamese, Richard (9 June 1991). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald. p. H5.
- ^ "Saffire". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
- ^ MusicHound Blues: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 324.
- ^ Gallo, Mark (12 Jul 1991). "New Releases". Preview. North County Blade-Citizen. p. 16.
- ^ The Penguin Guide to Blues Recordings. Penguin. 2006. pp. 563, 564.
- ^ DeLuca, Dan (2 Jun 1991). "Blues". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 8L.
- ^ Schoemer, Karen (15 Nov 1991). "3 Women Singing the Blues". The New York Times. p. C3.
- ^ White, Jim (23 Jun 1991). "Blues". The Pittsburgh Press. p. E7.