Sugar Pie DeSanto - Refined Sugar

Genre r & b Publisher Jasman Records External Links Official Sugar Pie DeSanto Website Official Jasman Records Website

My dilemma: what happens when you really just can't get into an album? That after listening to it over and over, you still have nothing to say? That's the quandary I find myself in concerning Sugar Pie DeSanto's Refined Sugar. The album sits like an opaque mass in front of me, resisting all analysis except for the word "coffee-table." For yes, while it's slicky-produced and oozing with blues authenticity, it feels like a chore to actually hear it all the way through in one single, solitary sitting.

DeSanto made her recording debut over half a century ago in 1955 on a duet with Johnny Otis, a Chess Records luminary, and toured for two years with James Brown. You're probably not going to find a more impressive set of credentials than that, frankly. She's not just a singer, either; most of Refined Sugar is her own work, showcasing her complete understanding of the blues with upbeat, jazzy songs like "Matter of Time" and "Black Rat."

As I've said, it's a lush, hour-long way of passing the afternoon, possibly during a cook-out with a cocktail in hand. But it never seems to go beyond that, never becomes more than pleasant background noise, not once becoming essential listening. Still, for seventy years old, Sugar Pie DeSanto is still quite the accomplished singer and songwriter.