Album Review: Judith Owen, Come On & Get It

Seductive, fun and daring, Judith Owen’s 13th offering takes the listener on a journey back in time to the unsung jazz and blues heroes of the ‘40s and ‘50s. 

“Her name is Blossom, she was raised in a lion’s den / Her nightly occupation is stealing other women’s men,” sings Owen on opener ‘Blossom’s Blues’, a delightful gem originally by Blossom Dearie. 

‘Fine Brown Frame’, ‘Come On & Get It Honey’ and ‘He’s A Tramp’ further explore the highs and lows of love and infatuation, while boasting crystal clear vocals by Owen and superb musicianship from her band Her Gentlemen Callers. Insightful throughout, the Welsh-born powerhouse vocalist and pianist goes on to pay homage to the likes of Nellie Lutcher, Julia Lee and Dinah Washington. 

“You let all the women make a fool of you /  Why don’t you do right, like some other men do?”, she quips on the modernised interpretation of Lil Green’s ‘Why Don’t You Do Right’, upholding her feminist stance. Two decades in, Owen delivers yet another powerful record with Come On & Get It.

Listen: ‘Why Don’t You Do Right?’
Score: 8/10

Out now via Twanky Records.

Read more album reviews in the new issue, out now, starring Bono.