“Soul Blues & Ballads”is dedicated to the life of blues legends Koko Taylor, Katie Webster and Ruth Brown. It is about relationships that have deeply affected my life and my heart. I have always been inspired by their strong, sassy, tortured and storytelling blues. These women paved the way for me to write about my heartaches and expose my woundedness. They created safe passage for me to reveal myself. Now, when I write about my love life, I allow myself to be vulnerable, to share and to even purge my feelings. That way, I am reaching a deeper self - a deeper soul. Historically, my core issues were much about betrayal, abandonment, deception and trust in relationships.

SISTA MONICA PARKER: CAN’T KEEP A GOOD WOMAN DOWN! (MO MUSCLE RECORDS)

It is evident from the opening song “Can’t Keep A Good Woman Down” (also the title of the CD), that this collection of songs is a reflection of Sista Monica Parker’s triumph over illness and adversity, a journey that has left her stronger in her faith, passion and dedication to her music. This is a wonderful CD, with most of the songs written by Sista Monica, arranged and produced by Sista Monica and Danny ‘B’ Beconcini (with the exception of tracks 3, 5, and 9, written by Willie Nelson, Monica Parker and Susan Beer and Sam Cooke respectively). In her liner notes Sista Monica acknowledges her recovery from cancer (Synovial Sarcoma, a rare and severe type of cancer which was diagnosed in 2002) and notes that a portion of the proceeds of this CD goes to Healing Journeys (www.healingjourneys.org), for “Cancer As A Turning Point” Conferences.