Texas-born, Louisiana-raised pianist/vocalist/songwriter Marcia Ball, touring in support of her Grammy-nominated CD Peace, Love & BBQ, will perform at the Camden Waterfront Backyard BBQ in Camden on Sunday, September 5, 2010. Ball's groove-laden New Orleans R&B, heart-wrenching ballads and driving Gulf Coast blues have made her a one-of-a-kind favorite of music fans all over the world. Her music mixes equal parts simmering soul fervor and rollicking Crescent City piano. Over the course of her career, Ball's infectious, intelligent and deeply emotional songs have won her a loud and loyal fan base all over the world. Peace, Love & BBQ is Ball's fourth release for Alligator Records, and her third to receive a Grammy nomination. Ball has also collected seven Blues Music Awards since 2001, including the 2009 Pinetop Perkins Piano Player Of The Year award, and was voted “Female Blues Artist Of The Year" and “Most Outstanding Musician—Piano" in the 2009 Living Blues Readers' Poll. Ball was inducted into the Gulf Coast Music Hall of Fame on January 23, 2010. Concert information is as follows:
Sunday, September 5: Camden Waterfront Backyard BBQ
Wiggins Waterfront Park, Mickle Boulevard at the Delaware River
Camden, NJ 856-216-2170
Time: TBA; Free admission
Please see www.ccparks.com for complete festival line-up and information
Produced by Stephen Bruton, Peace, Love & BBQ finds Marcia Ball at a creative peak, writing or co-writing eight of the thirteen songs on the CD. From intense soul ballads to can't-sit-still party songs to straight-from-the-heart lyrical storytelling, the album will delight and inspire Ball's longtime fans and will certainly turn many newcomers into believers. With guests Dr. John, Wayne Toups, Tracy Nelson and Terrance Simien lending a hand, the music moves effortlessly through a range of emotions, so the listener may be dancing one minute and be deeply moved the next.
Since the 2001 release of her Alligator debut Presumed Innocent, Ball has received more popular and critical acclaim than ever before. Billboard called the CD “A stellar collection." So Many Rivers, her 2003 follow-up, continued the trend. Billboard again fueled the excitement, saying, “Ball is a consummate pro—a killer pianist, a great singer and songwriter. Powerful. Righteous." Live! Down the Road followed in 2005 with equally impressive praise across the board. The Boston Globe called the CD, “An irresistible, celebratory blend of rollicking, two-fisted New Orleans piano, Louisiana swamp rock and smoldering Texas blues from a compelling storyteller."
Now, with Peace, Love & BBQ and a long list of high profile tour dates, Ball will bring her blend of Texas roadhouse boogie and Louisiana swamp blues to fans everywhere. Radio and critics continue to sing her praises. No Depression says, “Ball takes her Louisiana R&B and soul from a stomp to the swamp and back. Relentless tunefulness and finely-honed storytelling make for a truly enjoyable ride." With her new CD and tour, Marcia Ball invites all her fans to ride with her as she spreads peace and love—and enjoys plenty of BBQ—all around the world.
