Gina Coleman Album "Unequivocally Blue" Album Review.

Artist: Gina Coleman

Album: Unequivocally Blue

Released: 2025

Artist Website: https://www.ginacolemanmusic.com/

Gina Coleman is the lead singer of the blues / roots band Misty Blues and one of the hardest workers in the business. Between Misty, her podcast /radio show "Queens Of The Blues" and now a fantastic solo album I honestly don't know when she has time to sleep and eat. This 11 song set of primarily acoustic based blues and roots music is sure to please fans of both the blues and americana genres. There is something here for anyone that digs the "real stuff".

The first single is Days Gone By and after one listen it is clear why this was the choice. It's a straight time funky 3:20 masterpiece that is drenched in soul and maturity, reminding this writer a bit of J.J. Cales's writing that Clapton interpreted perfectly. Gina's voice is as unique as they come and equally strong. Her vocals are a bit more relaxed than a good deal of her work that seems to have been inspired by the likes of Koko Taylor. On this song she takes the less is more approach and it is fiercely effective.

Will My Blues is everything that we have come to expect in a Gina Coleman production. Her writing chops are equalled by her choice in musicians. It's not that  the ensemble is good. If being good is what one has in the music business, they have nothing. Good is as common as weeds. What Gina and the group have is miles above good and 100% unique. Her music is simply in a class of its own and this song is a shining example of its exceptional nature.

Another slickly performed track is Ain't No Giving Tree. Rhythmically speaking it is almost a rumba, but played just a bit straighter making it just plain fun and bouncy. It follows that classic 12 bar format that most blues does with a clever and unexpected turnaround. Primarily an acoustic piece with a tasteful guitar pass and fitting vocals, this one is a great example of how Gina and crew just hear the music with a different spin on it. It is unmistakably blues, but there is just a stank on it that is left of center and delightfully witty.

The title track, Unequivocally Blue is a swingy blues number with changes that suggest a jazzer is somewhere in the mix. The walking bass line is executed perfectly against the drummer's brushes and colorful chords provided by both an electric and acoustic guitar. The vocal is breathy and emotive at each turn. There is a patience in Gina's delivery on this album that suggests how comfortable she is in her creative space these days. That patience is something that comes only with time and she has clearly put the time in.

This record is noticeably more mellow than a good deal of the Misty Blues music we have come to know from Gina. I was quite surprised and equally hooked at first listen. With the bulk of the album being primarily acoustic based a different side of Gina's vocal ability has been exposed for all to bask in. It would be criminal to call it subdued, because that makes it sound like something it isn't. It has power and depth but a level of restraint that may not have landed as well if the band were 100% electric. The choices she made on this album could not have been better. Gina's first solo album certainly does not sound like a newbie to the game. It is a top flight production from start to finish that is drenched in cool class.