ION INDIE MAGAZINE September 2017, Volume 40 | Page 56

CD REVIEW Review by Kiki Plesha • www.facebook.com/TheFairyRockMotherKikiPlesha Photography by Graham Whittington • https://grahamwhittingtonlensart.smugmug.com Music by Kaz Hawkins “Lipstick and Cocaine” Many of you may remember the incomparable Kaz Hawkins from her iconic image that graced the cover of our February 2017 issue of ION Indie Magazine that depicted her having a “wee spot of tea” (photo by Senior Photojournalist JB Bridges). In the feature story, I made no secret of my fondness for this belting belle from Belfast with the voracious vocals and personality to match. My opinion was formulated when I was honored to follow along during her “Shake The States” promotional tour, while I penned the featured article and interviewed Kaz in preparation for that story. I also had the opportunity to join her in Memphis this past January at the International Blues Challenge – where she advanced to the semi-finals in a sea of the “best of the best” that the genre has to offer. Although there was much “buzz” up and down Beale Street that she was the one to beat, she did not grab the coveted title. Apparently, Europe has more discerning taste and “got” Ms. Kaz…as she went on to take the top honors in the European Blues Challenge, which took place later in the year in Denmark. I guess you could say that the European Blues Challenge mimicked her life…coming back, when others counted her out of the running. And who doesn’t love a great comeback story? What Kaz IS, is hard to define -- and in an industry that demands definition, she won’t pander. She is a study in contradiction. She can deliver a torch song that would make a hardened criminal cry…and then with a swish of her skirt and a snap of her fan – get down with a gritty grind that would make a harlot blush. She makes a