Genya RavanCountry of origin:Born in Poland, raised and lives in the U.S. Type of music generally:R&B, soul, mainstream pop/rock Status:Most recent release, Cheesecake Girl (2013) See also:Genya Ravan's site Comparisons:An earlier and hard-rocking Pat Benetar, Janis Joplin Covers/own material:Own, occasional covers General comments:The inlay card for Ten Wheel Drive's Construction #1 album carries the statement "WARNING: NOT FOR EASY LISTENING!" It's accurate. Not that their music is severely dissonant (it isn't), but neither is it the homogenized stuff that occupied so much of the AM airwaves in those days. On the average, it could be described as "Janis Joplin meets Blood, Sweat and Tears"—with many exceptions to this rule. Recordings:
Construction #1Ten Wheel Drive with Genya RavanRelease info:1969—Polydor Availability:Wide on release Ecto priority:Recommended Group members:Genya Ravan—vocals, harmonica, tambourine Guest artists:Bill Takas—bass Produced by:Walter Raim Comments:The first three tracks on the album, for instance, are a blues- rock piece in the best tradition of Big Brother and the Holding Company, a very lyrical jazz piece, and a bit of psychedelic rock with much in common with Iron Butterfly's "In A Gadda Da Vida"—all graced by Ravan's decidedly unethereal yet nonabrasive belting. The brass-dominated accompaniment is variously reminiscent of Blood, Sweat and Tears' eponymous album of the same period, in a different musical idiom; and of the extensive use of brass backup on Laura Nyro's New York Tendaberry album, again close to the album under discussion in time of release, but much closer to it musically. (mapravat@prairienet.org) Urban DesireRelease info:1978—20th Century Fox Availability:Wide on release Ecto priority:Recommended Group members:Genya Ravan—vocals, harmonica, percussion Guest artists:Bobby Chen—drums, percussion Produced by:Genya Ravan Comments:Ravan's solo album some years later also displays some stylistic variety on individual tracks, but the overall patina is that of a relatively hard rocker for a woman of the period, whose lyrics foreshadow the assertive imagery of others who came along in the next few years (the example of Pat Benatar comes to mind), and through the decades that followed. The tracks on side 1 range from a subtle spoof of the girl-group genre in which she once worked, to a number with a clear Rolling Stones influence (the first time I can recall derivatives of Phil Spector and Mick Jagger appearing back to back on the same album), to a duet with a male vocalist that comes across like Joy of Cooking with a much harder edge, to a cover of the Supremes' "Back in My Arms Again." The Joplinian influences of the Ten Wheel Drive period are again in evidence here; the duets may have something in common with some of the work of Delaney and Bonnie, to which my exposure to date has been very limited. The final selection on the album seems to be influenced musically by some of the work of Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper. (mapravat@prairienet.org) "I Won't Cry Anymore" (single)Release info:2011—Bongo Boy Records Availability:See Bongo Boy Records' site Ecto priority:Recommended Group members:Genya Ravan—vocals Guest artists:Gar Francis—guitars, keyboards Produced by:Gar Francis Comments:Legendary singer Genya Ravan teams up with Gar Francis for a powerful, rockin' tune that lives up to the promise of her still-strong voice. She's still every bit the vocal powerhouse and Francis' sly rocker is definitely a good showcase for it. I'd like to hear more. (stjarnell@yahoo.com) Thanks to Mitch Pravatiner and Anna Maria Stjárnell for work on this entry.
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