Given the level of enthusiasm about Marva Wright here at Chitlins, I had the idea for a series of posts on other powerhouse blues divas who are still with us and active. I would like to start with Diunna Greenleaf, an amazingly powerful singer from Houston, Texas.
Diunna Greenleaf is still in her 40s, making her somewhat of a youngster among old school blues/soul singers. As you will hear, however, Ms. Greenleaf embodies blues/gospel sensibilities that would make you think that she is from an older generation. She is also a scholar of the blues who is acutely aware of the history of the music. She even served for a while as the President of the Houston Blues Society. I heard Diunna for the first time live a few years ago. I was blown away and amazed that I could have been unaware of her up until that time. I bought this self-produced and released CD from her at the concert. At that time, it was still her only recording. She has since released two other records. I would say that none of her recordings yet capture just how good Diunna can be live. In fact, there are a few posts from her concerts on Youtube that may be the definitive record of her art so far. But this is nevertheless an excellent recording, and, in my opinion, still far and away her best record. It is also the most difficult of her records to track down. So it certainly deserves a post here.
All in all, this is quite a satisfying record. Most importantly, make sure not to miss Diunna when she comes to your town. Her live shows can be nothing less than transcendent. This album only hints at what she is capable of. The best on wax is yet to come.
