Guitarist and bandleader Marc Stone has made a side career bringing singers who haven’t played in a while back into the spotlight. On Saturday night, Alana Davis, one of the leading lights of the folk/pop boom of the late 1990s will make her first appearance in New Orleans in twenty years. She will be playing at the Little Gem Saloon with Stone and his band along with special guests trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis and bassist Reggie Scanlan. The show will be a sneak peak of sorts at her new album, Love Again, which is due in stores in May. It is her first album since 2004.
Davis’ sultry voice and sophisticated sense of melody set her apart from many of her contemporaries right from the beginning of her career. In 1997, she burst on the scene as a neophyte in the music business and was signed out of the blue by Elektra Records.
Her breakout debut, Blame It On Me, was named one the top 5 albums of 1997 by Time magazine and propelled her from a total unknown to a festival headliner with singles in heavy rotation on radio and MTV, a Top 40 hit, and a Grammy nomination.
Her next album, Fortune Cookies, appeared in 2001 and was also nominated for a Grammy. She toured with artists as varied as Emmylou Harris, Bob Weir, Steel Pulse, Jack Johnson, Jethro Tull, and Bonnie Raitt.
Then she stepped away from the music business. After nearly fifteen years on hiatus, Davis returns with new songs that find her in fine form, the ache and longing in her voice still intact. She produced the album and Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics, and famed reggae drummer Sly Dunbar appears on all the tracks.
Though Davis usually plays with small bands, she will be appearing with Stone on guitar, Terry Scott, Jr. on drums (Dr. John), Jack Joshua on bass, Tom Worrell on piano, Luke Quaranta on percussion, along with backing vocalists Lilli Lewis and Mikayla Braun. Very special guests include trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis and bassist Reggie Scanlan.
Doors are at 7 PM. Showtime is 8 PM. Tickets are available here.
