So Many Rivers

1	Foreclose on the House of Love 4:47
2	Dance With Me 4:50
3	Baby, Why Not 3:36
4	Honeypie 3:36
5	Give Me a Chance 3:27
6	Didn't You Know 4:10
7	Give It Up (Give In) 4:31
8	So Many Rivers to Cross 3:44
9	The Storm 4:47
10	The Lowdown 3:20
11	Hurricane on China Lake 3:39
12	Three Hundred Pounds of Hongry 3:43
13	If It's Really Got to Be This Way 3:37
14	If Ain't One Thing 3:08

Barnes & Noble

Marcia Ball’s Presumed Innocent won the 2002 W. C. Handy Blues Album of the Year award. So Many Rivers ascends to even loftier heights, with esteemed producer/guitarist Stephen Bruton showcasing Her Tallness’s fierce, two-fisted piano and confident, earthy vocals. Deservedly dedicated to the songwriters (Ball herself wrote 6 of the 14 numbers), the album features festive, up-tempo R&B offset by three soulful slow-burners. “Fonk” is the unifying vibe throughout, to borrow from the uproariously ribald “Three Hundred Pounds of Hongry.” Ball also dips into zydeco (“Honeypie”) and western swing revival (“The Lowdown’), and proves she can blues-rock with the best of them on “Foreclose on the House of Love.” The recording benefits from a fertile cross-pollination with Bruton’s pals, including southern songwriting legend Donnie Fritts, who contributes two songs. A summation of Ball's abundant talents, So Many Rivers just may be her watershed. Lissa Kiernan

All Music Guide

Marcia Ball's strong western Louisiana, eastern Texas roots run strongly through So Many Rivers, and she has increased the range she covers. Solid in the foundation of her piano playing and phrasing, she is rooted rock-solid to the rhythms by the drumming of Tom Fillman and the bass of both Don Bennett and Yoggie Musgrove. There is also the production work of Stephen Bruton, who also added his otherworldly guitar work to the mix. Marcia Ball's voice has only gotten finer with the passage of time, and the collaborations with Irma Thomas and Tracy Nelson have also added a lot of potency to her voice and handling of a song. She has assembled a crack group of musicians here that gives her freedom to take those chances that make So Many Rivers stand out from the crowd. The six songs she wrote are among the standouts here. The slow-building strength of "The Storm" and the power and grit in "Give Me a Chance" add depth to this collection. She does a great job with putting some bounce into others' tunes ("Honeypie"). This is a standout from this queen of the gatorhythms that bring the swamp alive. Bob Gottlieb