Janiva Magness’ release on Alligator Records earlier this year is called Stronger For It in a most literal way. Since a young child, Magness has battled heartbreak and misunderstanding, growing up a parent-less child in Detroit (both parents committed suicide) and battling the aftershock of it all throughout her growing years and beyond. It’s these growing years that brought Magness naturally to the Blues, where she sings the style with a soul that has traveled a long road and continues to do so. Although 2011 was an amazing year for Magness, tour-wise, and as a writer, an end to her 17-year marriage, among other hurdles, brought her another round of trying times. “To know her struggle is to know the depth of her strength,” writes Mark Baier of The Chicago Blues Guide. Baier continues on Stronger For It – “Magness’s own ‘There It Is’ opens things up and it’s a cathartic tour de force, with its soulful rhythms and clever riffing which support the song’s concept of “I never thought I’d want to hurt a man so much, but there it is”. His loss is our gain. Followed by her second composition, ‘I Won’t Cry’, Magness establishes a tone of self-reliance and spiritual fitness that’s frankly inspirational.”
Listen to WMSE as Sonia of WMSE’s Friday Blues Drive interviews Magness at 4:30 p.m. CST today (listen online or at 91.7 FM). Magness performs tonight at Shank Hall (1434 N. Farwell). 8 p.m. 21+
