Streetwalkers musically strong but far too vocally predictable

There’s a common belief that blues is nothing more than a few lyrics built around endless three-chord, 12-bar progressions that, seemingly, anyone can play. Nothing could be further from the truth.

While structurally simple, good blues is deceivingly complex. Perhaps more than any other form of popular music, blues is about people, their feelings and emotions. Remove its heart and soul, and the music becomes an empty shell.

Enter M.J. Watkins & the Streetwalkers, a Charleston-based blues band which in the past 18 months, has made itself known on the state’s small but growing blues circuit. Most recently, the band opened for veteran Chicago bluesman Luther “Guitar Junior” Johnson on Aug. 6, at the 3rd International Blues Show in Calais.

During their hour-long set, Watkins & the Streetwalkers performed a number of original tunes they recently recorded on “Hot Rhythms & Cool Blues,” their debut release.

To the Streetwalkers’ credit, the nine tracks on “Hot Rhythms & Cool Blues” accurately capture their on-stage energy and sound. But what I found missing in both their live set in Calais and in the tape, was the raw, straight-from-the heart feeling that is the essence of the blues.

Musically, the band is excellent. Bass guitarist Dave “Dancing Bear” Denison and drummer Tom “H-Bomb” Hines know how to pump up the energy and keep it going.

Trent Souder comes off as a talented and capable, jazz-influenced blues guitarist. He plays a “clean” guitar, only occasionally running his Telecaster through an effect. Souder’s style is understated and tasty.

Maria “M.J.” Watkins fronts the band as its lead singer and blues harpist. She also is the band’s manager, directing the Streetwalkers through Equal Strength Productions, which she heads.

Make no mistake: Watkins, who switched to singing the blues after dabbling in country and folk music, has a powerful voice and stage presence. Her problem isn’t projection, but lack of range, moving from song to song without altering vocal inflections. Unfortunately the end result is predictability, not spontaneity, the latter of which is the major ingredient separating good blues from “homogenized” blues.

“Weight of Your Love,” sung by Souder, is the tape’s strongest cut and, overall, is reminiscent of early Jefferson Airplane. With strong dynamics and vocals, “Weight of Your Love” fully demonstrates the band’s potential.

Side One closes with “Stand Back Baby,” a toe-tapping, high-energy rock `n’ roller, featuring some hot sax and jumping piano fills by two unnamed musicians. Watkins is at her best on this and “Bangor Blues.”

“Bangor Blues” is a slow and sexy tune that breaks from the standard 12-bar blues formula and which showcases Watkins on harp and vocals in one of her stronger performances.

“Mama’s Gone,” with Watkins on lead vocal, is an uninspired track and unquestionably the tape’s low point.

Overall, Streetwalkers fans — and there are a lot of them, it seems — will enjoy this first studio effort for its faithful reproduction of the band’s on-stage sound. For the uninitiated, however, the question is in the wrapper.

The Streetwalkers seem more at home and natural as a good-time rock `n’ roll band, cutting loose on numbers like “Stand Back Baby.” As a blues band, the Streetwalkers can pass muster musically but are a bit too forced and predictable vocally.