Miss Lavelle White - Into The Mystic

As the Los Angeles New Times notes, “Like they once said about Coca Cola, Lavelle White is the real thing.” From her hits in the 1950s and ‘60s on Houston’s Duke Records through her later residency as the house vocalist at Chicago’s legendary Kingston Mines to her comeback over the last decade on Antone’s Records, Miss Lavelle has always been an avatar of “true blues and a class act.” (Portland Oregonian)

And Lavelle White has never been truer nor classier than on Into The Mystic, her third release for the Antone’s label. Produced by blues master Derek O’Brien, it’s an album that draws from the past, present and future of the blues to create one of the most compelling listening experiences of this new century. Running from full band and choir gospel to stripped-down acoustic cool to uptown rocking blues, it’s a work rich with both incredible variety and undeniable charm.

On it, Miss Lavelle stamps her trademark on classics like Van Morrison’s title tune, Stevie Wonder’s “Livin’ For The City,” The Box Tops’ “Soul Deep” and the pop-gospel landmark “Oh Happy Day.” And even though she has her feet firmly grounded in the true blues of her past, Lavelle lets us know she’s right here with us in 2003 on her own “Computer Blues.” So slip Into The Mystic into your CD player and let Miss Lavelle take you on an amazing journey to magical places you’ll want to revisit again and again.