Saffire's music is definitely not for the weak-hearted. It is saucy, no-holds barred, and at times, even raunchy. It is however, expressive and intense, and the all-female acoustic blues trio makes no compromises on its musicianship.
While their program was fairly diverse, ranging from classic blues numbers to new originals, there was a decided emphasis on songs from their latest album, "Old, New, Borrowed, and Blue," a tribute album.
The trio, which consists of Gaye Adegbalola (vocals, harmonica, guitar), Ann Rabson (vocals, piano, guitar) and Andra Faye McIntosh (vocals, fiddle, acoustic bass, guitar),delivered a two hour performance to an almost full-house at Spaulding Saturday night.
Their blues style, however, is far more progressive than it is traditional, an aspect of their playing which fits right in with their outspoken personalities. The traditional blues scales are fairly limited and their modern-day interpretations often integrate more complicated chords and scales. Saffire interpreted most of their numbers in this way, using scales that were not typical of the blues, creating a unique effect.
The pianist, Rabson, was especially impressive as she showed solid breadth of imagination during her solos. On "T'aint Nobody's Business," a blues standard, she employed her thorough knowledge of jazz tunes. She has a remarkably fast right hand with which she voices melodies and a driving left which plows through the chords. In addition, she also has the rare ability to play the piano and sing at the same time without losing rhythm.
McIntosh and Adegbalola were also impressive on their respective instruments, especially during the second half of the concert, which featured a mix of blues standards and originals not featured on any of their albums.
Adegbalola, the most energetic of the group, stuck mostly to vocals and guitar while McIntosh switched from fiddle to acoustic bass for the second half. To find an acoustic bassist is hard enough, but to find a female acoustic bassist is even tougher. McIntosh, however, was excellent in support throughout the concert and handled the responsibility of keeping time exceptionally well.
Most of the audience, however, found the social message of the group the most salient feature of the concert.
One of their main themes was the empowerment of women in contemporary society. They were far from bashful while expressing their views towards gender equity, something which was met with much enthusiasm and applause from the audience.
This was the most progressive element of their music, as they managed to preserve the blues as a musical form, but adapted lyrics that reflect the social turmoil of our times. Their original compositions, were however, hardly laments, as much of the blues numbers are.
