Tanya Huff Blood Blank

The extremely retro sound of Rufus Huff's self-titled album reaches back to the heyday of blues-rock in the early '70s, particularly British acts in the bluesy hard rock/nearly metal style like Led Zeppelin, Free, and Jeff Beck's early groups…..

In this twisted adaptation of The Three Little Pigs, “Huff” (Charlie O’Connell) is the big, bad wolf, an abusive stepfather who uses Bible verses to manipulate and abuse his wife and three stepdaughters. On the eve of a big drug deal, Huff’s battered wife secretly gives his stash of drug money to her daughters (the “little piggies”) and tells them to run away and seek better lives for themselves. What follows is an unpredictable chain reaction of rage-induced asthma attacks (yes, this wolf huffs and puffs), violence, and murders as the maniacal Huff pursues the runaways. Brixi (Amber Bollinger), the eldest daughter, emerges as the protagonist, going toe-to-toe with Huff as she tries to protect her sisters and exact vengeance on their beastly stepfather.

As disco rose to prominence in the 1970s, MFSB played a crucial role in its development by contrasting earthy R&B rhythms with the cosmopolitan sleekness of an orchestra. By 1978, their once-innovative sound had become the status quo, and this is proven by Gamble Huff Orchestra; while never anything less than professional, this album lacks the grit and infectious hooks of MFSB's earlier outings. The band slickly moves through its paces, and the orchestral touches sound as lovely as ever, but the key elements of inspiration and personality are missing. For proof, check out the album's pair of cover versions: "Use ta Be My Guy" and "Wishing on a Star" sound as professional as any disco band of the day, but are unfortunately also completely devoid of personality…

For the third time, Blank & Jones take a journey to the depths of the archives of the '80 and offer up a tracklist full of surprises and exclusives. This triple CD deluxe set is a virtual non-stop mix featuring remastered and uncut rare mixes and extended versions. The booklet contains commentary from Blank & Jones on all of the tracks plus pictures of the original 12" single sleeves. Features tracks from INXS, Visage, Duran Duran, OMD, the Cure, Billy Idol, Simple Minds, Real Life and many others.