Mercedes Nicole

Too High A Price To Pay

Bonaberi to Paris Label

Mercedes Nicole, was born into a strict Baptist home, the Blues was forbidden, all hell broke loose when she started singing something besides gospel. She first debuted her  talent for singing Blues at the Westport Blues Festival where she got a warm nod and a bear hug from B.B. King’s daughter Claudette King. Mercedes has been in local Blues  scenes all over Western Washington, performing at venues like Demetrio’s Jazz Alley,  The Triple Door, The Seattle Art Museum, Seattle Center house, the Confluence Music  Festival, and more.

In 2020, her fourth CD “Constellation” earned her the cover of the August Blues Letter of the WA Blues Society, and number 12 on the Roots Chart. Mercedes previously was  focused on singing Jazz but the love of blues was bubbling in her veins. Since 2022 Mercedes’s music has been aired all over the world, France, Brazil, the United Kingdom,  South Africa, Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, and of course nationally. The  album was produced, recorded, and mixed by Ben Lange at the David Lange Studio in  Lakewood, Washington. The Executive Producer is Mercedes Nicole. The album includes  seven originals and six selected covers.

The personnel includes Mercedes Nicole, all vocals; Jake Sele, piano and organ; Rod  Cook, guitar; Alexey Nikolaev, tenor saxophone; Stacy Jones, harmonica; Scotty Harris,  bass; and Andrew Cloutier, drums. The backing vocalists include Tommy Warren, Patrice  O’Neill, producer Ben Lange, Stacy Jones, and Mercedes Nicole.

The album opens with “I’ll Play The Blues For You”, written by Jerry Beach, but credited to Booker T. Jones & William Bell in 1972, and recorded by Albert King. “I ain’t got no  business…I’ll play the blues for you on my guitar…I’ll play the blues for you”. On “Blue Fire” a.k.a. Searching for Robert Glasper, the first of the originals, Mercedes sings “takin a  chance with my heart…I’ve got some fire burning deep down in my soul”, with some fine harmonica from Stacy Jones.

“Feels Like Rain” written by John Hiatt was first recorded in 1994, Mercedes chimes “down where the river meets the sea…love comes out of nowhere, baby…it feels like rain…and I wonder who you are…and it feels like rain”, with bass from Scotty Harris, and drums from Andrew Cloutier”. “(These) Last Two Dollars” written by George Jackson was recorded by Johnny Taylor in 1997, “these last two dollars are not for you…I gotta hear me some down home blues”, with a great sax solo from Alexey Nikolaev.

“The Struggle Is Real” features some great guitar from Rod Cook, as Mercedes cries out “from the coble streets of New Orleans…if it’s the only way to be rich until…these days the struggle is real, everything is worth fighting for”. “It Took A Long Time Blues” written by  W. Harrison was recorded by Andrew Brown in 1985, “it took a long time baby, to get you off my mind”, with backing vocalists Warren, Lange, O’Neill, Jones and Mercedes, with  more great guitar, sax, and piano.

“Breathe Again” was co-written with Verlinde, featured is the lyric “you got me callin’… every day…every night… so I’m trying to breathe again”, with more sexy sax from Nikolaev. On “Smokestack Lightning” written by Chester Burnett a.k.a. Howlin Wolf and recorded in 1964, Stacy Jones once again plays harp, as Mercedes sings “whoowho, ok, tell me baby,  why don’t you hear me cryin’, whoowho”.   On the title track “Too High A Price To Pay”, with some great piano from Sele, as Mercedes chants “hear me next door…make sure as long that they pay…the sun is too high a price to  pay, with piano from Sele. “The Sky is Crying” was written by Elmore James and recorded in 1969, it was further popularized by Stevie Ray Vaughan, “the sky is crying, look at the  tears running down my face…I’m wondering where you are walkin’ down the street…you make my heart skip a beat”.

On “Essence of A Woman”, Mercedes belts “the morning starts…she come a long, long,  way, with my lips she’ll completely surrender…with my arms she’ll find peace…one kiss will make her surrender”, with more great sax. “Beauty For Ashes”, “as long as there’s no more tears”. On the closer “Ease My Soul”, Mercedes croons “in this world of trouble and strife, your my guiding light, ease my soul”, with some great Hammond organ from  Sele.

Mercedes Nicole thanks the indigenous peoples who were the original caretakers of  this land. “I read somewhere that in order to be great, you must work hard, and  surround yourself with greatness. That is what I do each time I get on stage or in the recording studio. I surround myself with greatness so that I can breathe in joy, love and hope for all my tomorrows. May this recording touch your heart, give you courage, and a deep sense of enjoyment.

Richard Ludmerer

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