Kaye Bohler: Handle the Curves

"The White Tina Turner." Them is fightin' words. West coast vocalist and composer Kaye Bohler might be better described as Tina Turner covering Etta James at Muscle Shoals. Handle the Curves is a decade of original compositions that span from the Aretha Franklin-inflected "Diggin' on My Man" to the Van Morrison-ish title tune.

"Backbone" is all Memphis: Hi Records and Stax. Bohler's horn section could have had their tutelage under the Memphis Horns. Bohler stays close to the friendly confines of southern soul (read that: Memphis) soul. "Party Time" is jam rave-up featuring guitarist Pete Anderson in an extended solo. "Slayed" is all Al Green, tightly arranged and charted. Bohler's ear is a sure one and her compositions and arrangements are inventive and outside-the-box while still being easily linked to their respective influences.

The closest to cliché that Bohler approaches is on "It's The Blues" which sports a Muddy Waters stop-time riff with a well-worn plot arc. The disc closers, "Family is Found" and "Don't Take my Hope Away," more than make up for this in their imaginative themes and and hook-filled heads.

Kaye Bohler belongs to a new group of "Neo-Soul" acts that have emerged in the past number of years. Her approach is conservative without being stodgy. Her singing is fully inspired and engaged. Her songwriting is very effective, reflecting an expansive knowledge of her material and its history.