Vocalist Tiffany Pollack reached a broader audience with her 2019 debut of Blues in My Blood, recorded with her blues-rockin’ first cousin Eric Johanson. When it came time to enlist a producer for her all-original solo debut, NOLA Blue’s Sallie Bengtson suggested Memphis bluesman John Németh. So, with that recommendation in hand, Pollack and her band trekked north to the Bluff City to record at Electraphonic, the very studio where Németh recorded his acclaimed Stronger Than Strong release in 2020. The fact that Electraphonic uses one-inch tape was also a selling point for Pollack. She had previously recorded a few jazz standards on that medium.
Pollack and Co. traverse an extensive gamut of styles: blues, Memphis soul, rock, and even steel guitar-laced country. Saxophonist Christopher Johnson is a huge part of the sound with his flying notes on the soul flavored “My Soul My Choice” and the thrashing “Devil and the Darkness” that’s reminiscent of ’90s rockers Morphine.
But that’s only a fraction of what this is about. Bayou Liberty refers to the road Pollack grew up on in Slidell but now symbolizes her coming of age as an artist and a woman. Many of these songs reflect that evolutionary liberation. As a songwriter, she eviscerates herself publicly with brutally honest lyrics (“Spit on Your Grave,” “Baby Boys”) to the point you may not want to know the rest of the story.
The slinky “Sassy Bitch” was inspired by a harassing internet troll. “Crawfish and Beer” puts someone firmly in their place. “My Soul My Choice” and “Do It Yourself” show how she has finally gotten comfortable with her skin.
Yet, it’s not all heavy. “I’m Going to Make You Love Me,” one of four tracks where Pollack accompanies herself on ukulele, is a playful, steamy love song. The laidback sincerity of “Mountain” pays homage to a special someone who helped her through dark times.
While Pollack shows she has a knack for songwriting, she’s also a stunning vocalist with gale-force power that’s short of hair-parting. While she gets by with a little help from Németh and her merry band of music makers, it’s Pollack who’s firmly in control and is one to keep an eye on.
—Dan Willging
