Marcia Ball brings a little Louisiana, a little Texas

By Yana Samberg Correspondent

Marcia Ball has the kind of honey-smoked, bluesy voice that you can listen to forever.

And while you may not have that kind of time, on New Year's Eve you can spend a few hours enjoying Ball's kaleidoscope of blues, Cajun swamp rock and retro country sounds when she performs at The American Theatre in Hampton.

Ball, who is nominated for a 2012 Grammy for best blues album, is touring in support of her latest effort, "Roadside Attractions." Ball, who wrote or co-wrote all of the songs on this album, said this was one of the most personal ones she has recorded.

Ball, 62, said she looks to put the best song on an album, whether a song was written by her or someone else. This time around, she said, she had a lot of material to draw from. Her producer, Gary Nicholson, whom she called a "relentless songwriter," helped her finish a number of songs and tweak some she'd already written.

"I think I have as much to write about now as I ever did," Ball said. "It's taken my whole life to find some of the most interesting experiences. I don't think age is an impediment to creativity."

Ball, who started playing piano at age 5, grew up near the Texas-Louisiana border.

"I lucked into a niche based on the music I grew up with," said Ball during a phone interview from her home near Austin, Texas.

"I'm Cajun," Ball says with pride. Her mix of honky-tonk, blues and balladry was all "in the air that I breathed," she said. "I inherited the most amazing soundtrack to a young life. It was the time and place."

And while Ball began playing music young, she didn't start singing until she got into college. A friend recruited her to sing harmony during a folk music performance. Then she joined a band in Baton Rouge, La., and the rest, as they say, is history. Ball is equally at home belting out shake-your-groove-thing numbers and delivering soulful ballads.

"My voice has been a work in progress," Ball said.

Ball says she enjoys performing all the songs from her latest album. Her favorite?

" 'This Used to Be Paradise' is the most autobiographical on the album... it addresses the BP oil spill, the loss of the wetland," Ball said, adding that it wraps in her family history as well. Both her grandfather and her father were fishermen.

Ball said she is excited about her Grammy nomination, especially because there is only one blues category this year instead of two.

"Honestly, it's huge. It's a huge validation from the industry and the world that they know your name."

Go see Marcia Ball on New Year's Eve and it's a good bet you won't forget her name anytime soon.

Yana Samberg, ygs1971@gmail.com