Alan Ovington's Album Review - 4 Apr 2024

"Fortuna", the long-awaited studio album from the British Blues rock roots guitarist and vocalist Bex Marshall, is a ten-track blues tapestry that bulges to the edges with addictive hooks and story lines.

Bex is a writer of notability, she pushes the boundaries of blues and weaves the genre in and out of blues, funk, rock, and Americana. She conjures a vocal melting pot of old black woman’s heartache and powerful gritty soul and unique guitar skills.

Ten years since her last release, Bex steps forward as a leading female guitarist. Bex says, “I have been influenced by multiple artists. For me it never stops. Songwriters, vocalists, and guitarists, you name it.

“I grew up listening to Tina Turner. Vocally, she was my heroine. Her tone, soul, and vocal range was so versatile. Other influences include Eric Clapton’s cool guitar style, John Lee Hooker’s back porch flavour, Freddie King’s sting, Hose Feliciano’s flair, Janis Joplin’s ragtime, and Elton John and Bernie Taupin's songwriting. I was lucky as my uncle had a stunning vinyl collection, and I was able to absorb all these relevant box ticking blues rock greats.”

Fortuna's lyrical content touches on the all too familiar addictions of life, from love to liquor, changes in society and bitter regret. Bex says, “The album is where I am today musically and philosophically and reflective of the performer I am now. I wanted to take the hard lumps out of life, and present them back in a different light, sometimes with humour, sarcasm, or resilience but always with a shed load of tenacity. The album is the most upbeat offering from me to date and I want to produce a show of high energy blues rock euphoria to reignite people’s mojos."
 
* Alan Ovington's Rock Zone can be heard 7-9pm every Wednesday on 103.6FM Tameside Radio (repeated Friday 9-11pm) and On Demand at tamesideradio.com. More rock news at therockzone.net. Twitter @tamesiderock