1 	Pity Party 	4:51
2 	The Lord Helps Those Who Help Themselves 	5:59
3 	Nutbush City Limits 	3:51
4 	Better Off With The Blues 	6:14
5 	Girl Friend 	3:09
6 	Blues Fallin' Down Like Rain 	5:03
7 	My Man's An Undertaker 	4:07
8 	Damn Your Eyes 	4:33
9 	Learned My Lesson 	5:18
10 	Brain Damage 	5:19
11 	Living In The U.S.A. 	3:38
12 	Please Send Me Someone To Love 	5:37
13 	Feel Like Stroking 	4:59
14 	Johnny B. 	5:03

Backing Vocals, Arranged By – Roberta Thomas (tracks: 1,2,3,12)
Bass – Johnny Gayden
Drums – Tim Austin
Guitar – Danny Draher (tracks: 2,3,8,9,13,14), James Wheeler (tracks: 1,4,5,7,10,11)
Piano, Organ – Ken Saydak
Tenor Saxophone – John Brumbach (tracks: 6,8,14)
Vocals – Zora Young

All the songs played in Chicago blues clubs don't necessarily have 12 bars. Many of Chicago's blues singers are also R&B and/or rock singers, and Zora Young is a prime example. Based in Chi-Town but originally from Mississippi, the expressive singer provides an enjoyable, if derivative, blues/soul/rock mix on her 2000 date Learned My Lesson. Young is far from a blues purist -- while "My Man's an Undertaker" and Young originals like the humorous "Pity Party" are straight-up urban blues, she confidently detours into soul and rock territory on "Girl Friend" (another Young original) and sweaty performances of Ike & Tina Turner's "Nutbush City Limits" and Chuck Berry's "Living in the U.S.A." Meanwhile, Young draws heavily on her gospel background on a passionate version of Percy Mayfield's "Please Send Me Someone to Love." No one will accuse Young of being an innovator; drawing on such influences as Koko Taylor and Etta James, she is quite derivative. But a CD doesn't have to be groundbreaking to be likable, and Learned My Lesson is a CD that's easy to like. ---Alex Henderson, AllMusic Review

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01. New Blowtop Blues (3:52)
02. Stroking (3:04)
03. Bus Station (4:37)
04. Football Widow (4:10)
05. Tired of Travelling (4:42)
06. Stumbling Blocks and Stepping Stones (7:04)
07. The Thrill Is Gone (4:40)
08. I Got The Right To Sing The Blues (2:44)
09. Baby, Want You Ride with Me Tonight (6:54)
10. Hoochie Coochie Woman (3:06)
11. I’m Ready (2:44)

Zora Young - Vocals
Spike Ravenswood - Guitar
Vince Willis - Keyboards
Christopher Lopes - Bass
James Bell - Drums

Despite the prominent presence of celebrated blues artist Howlin’ Wolf in her family tree, singer Zora Young grew up singing not blues, but gospel. Even when the Mississippi native shook off her roots at the age of seven to relocate with her family to Chicago, she attended the Greater Harvest Baptist Church and continued to sing gospel. It wasn’t until later that she switched over to R&B, and evolved into a powerhouse blues vocalist with three decades of experience behind her. She has performed with a long list of artists, including Junior Wells, Jimmy Dawkins, Bobby Rush, Buddy Guy, Professor Eddie Lusk, Albert King, and B.B. King. Her recording credits include collaborations with Willie Dixon, Sunnyland Slim, Mississippi Heat, Paul de Lay, Maurice John Vaughn, and Hubert Sumlin among others.

Her own recordings as a solo artist include releases from the labels Delmark, Black Lightning, and Deluge. Young has also performed on both stage and television. She is a veteran of more than 30 tours of Europe, and has been a featured performer three times at the Chicago Blues Festival, including headlining this world’s largest blues fest in ’06. She has performed throughout North America, and on stages in Italy, Germany, Belgium, Sweden, France, Switzerland, Greece, Austria, Tai Pei, and Turkey. Her albums include 1991’s Travelin’ Light from Deluge Records and three releases from Delmark Records, Learned My Lesson in 2000 and Tore Up from the Floor Up in 2005, and her most recent, The French Connection in 2009. Earlier in 2009, she also released Sunnlyand, a tribute to her mentor, the late blues pianist/singer Sunnyland Slim, on saxophonists’ Sam Burckhardt’s Airway label, with special guests Hubert Sumlin, Bob Stroger, Barrelhouse Chuck, and Steve Freund. ---whoisthemonk.wordpress.com

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1. Love Of Mine	  4:30
2. Go Ahead And Take Him	6:37
3. I'm Gonna Do The Same Thing They Did To Me	5:14
4. Toxic	  6:03	
5. Til The Fat Lady Sings		4:51	
6. Slowly	4:51	
7. Ace Of Spades	3:27
8. Rainy Night In Georgia	5:32	
9. Tore Up From The Floor Up	4:19
10. Since I Fell For You/Silhouettes	7:11
11. Handy Man	3:51
12. Two Trains Running		5:50
13. Interview	4:05

Personnel: 
Zora Young (vocals); 
Pete Allen (guitar); 
Bobby Dirninger (acoustic guitar, piano, keyboards); 
Hank Ford (tenor saxophone); 
Willie Henderson (baritone saxophone); 
Kenny Anderson (trumpet, horns); 
Lee "Mookie" Cain (bass instrument); 
Kerman Frazier (drums).

With her mix of blues, soul, and rock, plus the just tangible presence of her native Mississippi gospel background, Zora Young can be a powerful performer when the material is there. On the best cuts from Tore Up from the Floor Up, her third album and second for Delmark, she shows a kind of hard-earned wisdom and an assurance in her vocals that rises well above mere shouting, and tracks like the moody, dynamic "Toxic" and the romping title tune (both of which are Young originals) show her to be a solid songwriter as well. She also turns in fine readings on a pair of covers, turning atmospheric on Muddy Waters' "Two Trains Running" and giving B.B. King's "I'm Gonna Do the Same Thing They Did to Me" a saucy, determined sheen. Her take on O.V. Wright's "Ace of Spades" is surprisingly by the numbers, though, and while she certainly doesn't do a disservice to Tony Joe White's "Rainy Night in Georgia," it's a song that has been done to death and no singer on earth could possibly find a new way to approach it. The end result of all of this is an album that has some wonderful highs (the opener, "Love of Mine," simply soars and rocks) but also too many tracks that lack immediacy. It's worth noting, though, that Young's originals more than hold their own here, and that bodes well, because when her singing and writing intersect, sparks fly. ---Steve Leggett, Rovi

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1 Zora Young	Better Be Ready 	4:08 			
2 Zora Young	Goin' Back To Memphis 	5:11 			
3 Zora Young	Wang Dang Doodle 	5:19 			
4 Zora Young	I'm In Love With You 	3:47 			
5 Zora Young	Honey Bee 	5:56 			
6 Zora Young	Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You 	3:21 			
7 Zora Young	Just A Closer Walk With Thee 	4:03 			
8 Zora Young	See See Rider 	4:24 			
9 Zora Young	In The Ghetto 	6:00 			
10 Zora Young	Mystery Train 	5:06 			
11 Zora Young	I'm Movin' On 	4:36 			
12 Zora Young	Toxic 	8:36 			
13 Zora Young	Goin' Back To Memphis (version 2) 	3:47 			
14 Zora Young	Rock Me Baby 	5:57 	

Zora Young – vocals
Bobby Dirninger - guitars, organ, percussion, piano, producer, slide guitar
Catherine “Cajun” Girard - washboard

The French Connection is the new CD from Chicago based blues singer Zora Young. It’s being distributed in the U.S. by her long-time label, Delmark Records. The CD, a collaboration with French multi-instrumentalist Bobby Dirninger, is the fruit of a relationship built over 20 years of touring together. The CD features 14 tracks with three different bands recorded over a period of 15 months including five live tracks and nine studio recordings. The live songs come from three different shows from Zora's 2008 tour in France.

Stretching beyond the boundaries of traditional Chicago blues, Zora’s music is flavored with heavy doses of gospel, pop, country and soul. With the ad-libbing, improvising and commentary (that is so much a part of a Chicago blues woman’s show) woven seamlessly into the fabric of this CD, listening to this disc is the next best thing to actually being at a Zora Young performance. She sings with a bold, unhurried, honesty that seems like a confession. She is deliciously imperfect. Your ears are caressed by the warm intimate feel of Zora’s vocal delivery. Her innate sense of phrasing and her supreme confidence never overshadow her quiet dignity. This is a sultry, sassy sistah with no shame in her game, Zora Young at her finest.

Zora and Bobby chose the 14 songs together, except for In The Ghetto, chosen by Chris Dussuchaud, who produced the project along with Dirninger and Pasbal Theneau-Beige. The idea was to make a record that was half electric and half acoustic. Chris Dussuchaud, a French journalist and long-time Zora fan, is the one who asked for an acoustic flavor on the CD. The choice of material was surprisingly eclectic. There are the few blues chestnuts, to be sure, but there are tunes on this disc that really showcase Zora’s artistic range, set in spare or lush arrangements that (unlike some American ensembles I’ve heard her with) get out of her way and let her sing!

The unifying elements that tie all these dissimilar tracks together, aside from the unmistakable voice of Zora Young, are Bobby Dirninger’s hot, honey dripping slide guitar and the overall feel. This CD is enhanced by the amazing rhythmic talent of Catherine “Cajun” Girard on washboard. ---Liz Mandeville, chicagobluesguide.com

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