Dana Fuchs - Love Lives On (2018)

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Dana Fuchs - Love Lives On (2018)

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Blessed by raspy vocals cutting deep into the heart of the Blues, Dana Fuchs is an ambitious and graceful songstress ready to kick down the door of the music industry. Prideful, Fuchs is overjoyed to announce her new studio album, and ninth overall release, Love Lives On, will arrive on May 18, 2018 via her own label, Get Along Records.

For those unfamiliar with this talented singer-songwriter, and every Blues fan should know her name, Dana Fuchs was born in New Jersey and raised in rural Florida. At the tender age of twelve, Fuchs sang in a choir before performing in drama class and learning guitar in her teens. Sadly, Fuchs was dealt a series of family tragedies in her formative years, and though the struggle to deal with such hardships led her down the wrong path, Fuchs survived. Determined to rise from the ashes, Fuchs decided to use her talents to heal. In her early twenties, Fuchs began sharply focusing on her singing/songwriting, and for the last twenty years she has never let anything derail her dreams.

In 2003, Fuchs released her debut album, Lonely for a Lifetime, and many compared her sweet vocals to that of the legendary Janis Joplin. In fact, because of the comparison, in 2001 Fuchs landed a role starring as Joplin in the Off-Broadway musical Love, Janis. Fuchs also starred in the 2007 film Across the Universe where she played, what else, a singer. Topping the charts, Fuchs has released a full catalog of albums, reaching the Top Ten twice on the Billboard Blues Album Chart with 2013’s Bliss Avenue and 2014’s Songs from the Road. Looking to make a difference, Fuchs is the ambassador of The JED Foundation, an organization which works to prevent suicide and help teens who have emotional challenges.

Believing in herself, Fuchs recently took the bull by the horns by starting her own record label, the aforementioned Get Along Records. Fuchs then set up a crowdfunding campaign via PledgeMusic to finance Love Lives On, and the fans did not let her down. Love Lives On is a 13 song soundtrack chronicling the battles Fuchs endured as well as the birth of her son, touring, and even stories about her fans’ lives. An artist who will never forget the fans, Fuchs showed gratitude through her blog on February 27, 2018, posting a thank you to her fans for their unwavering support. Fuchs commented, “Love Lives On is about hope and perseverance. Something you have all given me. I hope in some way this album can give some of that back to you.”

Kicking off Love Lives On, the opening horns of “Backstreet Baby” will jump out and grab any listener as will the confession of “Ain’t Nobody’s Fault But Mine.” Praying for a little help from above, on “Callin’ Angels,” Fuchs lets the good lord know she is ready and waiting on a blessing. Tearful, “Sittin’ On” tells of knowing someone better after losing them (“I never saw you ’til you turned away“). Next, the title-track “Love Lives On” reflects on the inevitable (“Let love live on, even when you’re gone“). Then, “Sad Solution” basks in the question of “whose to blame?”

“Faithful Sinner” is a somber ballad about a good person who makes the wrong choices before the misty old-school Blues track “Sedative.” Thereafter, “Ready to Rise” is self-descriptive of Fuchs ambition (“I’m tired of loosin’ and I’m ready to rise“). Purposeful, the acoustic “Fight My Way” tells of Fuchs struggle with her demons and the tenacity to survive. Pushing through, “Battle Lines” essentially says no matter how weak the fight makes us, the conflict never gets any easier. On “Same Sunlight,” the message is though we are different, our trials are the same. Closing out Love Lives On, possibly the best cover Fuchs could do to sum up her journey, Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire.” Symbolic of her burning desire to weather the storm, Fuchs delivers a slow acoustic rendition and her sharp vocals brings a new emotion to this classic song, Johnny Cash would be proud.

All this said, Love Lives On is so much more than a Blues album that incorporates Soul, Rock, and Roots with arresting vocals. It is a hopeful and candid voicing of Fuchs’ most personal stories sure to touch the hearts of listeners from all walks of life, and that is the definition of the Blues. Right now, Fuchs is more motivated than ever to reach her destiny, and Love Lives On is her ticket to greatness. Get to know Dana Fuchs, she is the real deal! That is why CrypticRock gives Love Lives On 5 out of 5 stars.