And it is to the Blues Kaz has now dedicated herself. She has nailed her colours to the mast. The Mama Kaz Band are no more, the Mama Kaz name is no more and the acoustic singer-songwriter persona will have to take a back seat. She is now officially Kaz Hawkins, her stage surname derived from her idol, Etta James’, real name. I admire this bold step she has taken and it seems to be paying off. With a new manager, constant gigging and an album in the offing, her decision has already been vindicated. Truth is, she needs to be heard outside of N.I. She deserves to be heard outside of N.I. Talents like Kaz, deserve to be able to make a proper living out of what they do.
First offering from the ‘new’ Kaz, is ‘Can’t Afford Me’, complete with highly enjoyable video. To be truthful, it is a fairly basic blues offering and, given that Kaz sings this style so effortlessly, it almost sounds too easy. It’s a good choice to ‘set her stall out’ as it were. It will be popular with those who love this genre, and that is exactly the point of a single, but I want more from her. She has shown that she can really write from the heart with her singer-songwriter material, and there is no reason that this cannot continue given that the blues is a perfect platform to ‘get it all out there’. So, I will give this the thumbs up but I will be looking for more depth next time.
