The greatest female vocalist nobody knows delivers once again. Does anyone, apart from me, care? 
Artiste: Judie Tzuke
Nationality: British (English)
Album: Queen secret keeper
Year: 2001
Label: Big Moon
Genre: Rock
Tracks:
Don't look behind you
The one that got away
Do you
123
Drive
Indian giver
On days like these
All of me
One minute
Little diva
Breathless
Lion
Chronological position: Twelfth album
Familiarity: Everything! “Welcome to the cruise”, “Sportscar”, “I am the phoenix”, “Ritmo”, “Road noise”, “Turning stones”, “The cat is out”, “Wonderland”, “Left hand talking”, “Shoot the moon”, “Under the angels”
Interesting factoid: Judie's family is originally from Poland, where their name was indeed Tzuke but they changed it when they came to England, taking the name Myers. When she took up a career in music, Judie decided to switch her name back to the family one, and became Judie Tzuke. Hey, it attracts more attention than Judie Myers, don't you think?
Initial impression: Ah, there's my girl! Damn but I've missed ya!
Best track(s): Don't look behind you, 123, Drive, Indian giver, One minute, Lion
Worst track(s): I would say none, but let's be honest, I'm not crazy about
Breathless: sounds way too much like Sade to me!
Comments: I've been a big fan of Judie Tzuke ever since I heard
Stay with me till dawn on the radio, and went out to buy the album, not expecting a lot and, though I wasn't blown away by “Welcome to the cruise” (which is, in fact, her debut, released way back in 1979: how's that for a too-early peak in your career?) I liked it enough to invest in her other albums, each with its own flaws but truly endearing, and over the years I've seen her release good albums, the odd below-par and once or twice a really stunning one. I've seldom if ever been disappointed with her output though, and this, her twelfth (count 'em: twelve!) album and the third on her own Big Moon label, looks like being another winner.
In truth, it's been years since I listened to one of Judie's records, that being 1996's “Under the angels”, which was just prior to meeting and interviewing her at a small gig here in Dublin --- one of the highights of my sad little life! --- which you can read here
Judie Tzuke: Angel over Dublin, if you're so inclined, but her later output hasn't exactly been conveyor-belt-productive, with only two albums released since that one. However, quantity does not equal quality, and if Judie prefers to take a few years between records to get it right, then I say more power to her. This begins with, interestingly, a laidback ballad, a bold move, but somehow it just seems right, and you instantly warm to the album as it goes along, so that by the time you realise this is pretty much going to be the tempo the album hits, you've already experienced the smooth dance/trip-hop of
123, the soft, easy, Sade-like soul of
Drive and the frankly amazing
Indian giver, and it really doesn't matter that much that this is not going to be an album that ever truly rocks out. If I had to compare it to anything, I would choose Chris Rea's “King of the beach”: it just has the same laidback, lazy, summer style and feeling I get from that album. This is, mostly, an album to kick back and relax to.
Ably supported as ever by Mike Paxman on guitar and husband Paul Muggleton on keys, Judie's voice is seldom if ever strained, but still has the power of many of her peers, and yet she is virtually unknown beyond that one hit single. Criminal. At some point I will address this in my journal, but for now I can only urge you to avail yourself of some of the amazing music Judie has put out over the last thirty-odd years and immerse yourself in her talent, and maybe like me you'll then begin to wonder why people say “Judie
who?”
Overall impression: Why isn't this woman better known and appreciated than she is? God. Damn. It.
Intention: Hey, I'm a faithful fan, and will remain one forever.