Album Review: Robbin Kapsalis – The Blues is in the House

Blues singer Robbin Kapsalis is from Chicago’s South Side, with a career that has taken her from Atlanta to D.C. and beyond. But to record The Blues is in the House, she traveled to what might seem an unlikely destination: France. Working with an ace coterie of musicians from Nantes, she has put together a ten-song collection that cherry picks from among chestnuts in and beyond the blues idiom.

The French locale makes sense, though: as acclaimed as she is in her native United States (with well-deserved nods from Living Blues, nominations from the Blues Blast Music Awards and more), Kapsalis has and continues to tour extensively throughout Europe.

There’s a spare and straightforward sonic aesthetic to the arrangements on The Blues is in the House, one that well suits the material. With her strong and assured vocals – displaying shades of Koko Taylor – Kapsalis is the undisputed star of the show here, but the band more than holds its own, offering sterling support that places her vocals in the best and most sympathetic musical context possible.

The Blues is in the House opens with its title track, and the arrangement features spunky and spiky guest guitar work by Joe Louis Walker, recorded not long before his untimely passing in 2025. “Up the Line” bounces along confidently, and the band’s stop-start approach highlights the song’s dynamics. Giles Robson’s tasty harmonica work deserves special mention.

The searing yet laid-back “Lead Me On” is a smoky, passionate blues, and Kapsalis effectively and expressively leans into the song’s feel. “The Comeback” employs familiar blues tropes, but it’s a good-natured romp nonetheless. The blues standard “Sittin’ On Top of the World” has been recorded by everyone from Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys to Cream to Jack White. Here – Kapsalis’ fine vocal notwithstanding – it’s primarily an instrumental showcase for the work of Robson and guitarists François Nicolleau and Nicolas Deshayes.

Another standard, “Rollin’ & Tumblin’” has been committed to wax countless times since its recorded debut nearly a century ago. Kapsalis and her ensemble focus on the tune’s hypnotic elements, giving the arrangement the power and feel of a sleek and efficient locomotive. When Kapsalis draws out a verse’s lyrical opener of “well,” it’s clear that she has vocal power to spare.

Kapsalis’ “Love Hangover (Redux)” has nothing at all to do with the Diana Ross disco hit of 1976; instead it’s an original co-written by the singer. Structurally, it’s overly familiar, but considered on its own merits it’s a sturdy enough blues tune. Kapsalis’ howling near the song’s end is spot-on.

The swaggering and sultry “Gotta Hear the Blues” closes the album on a confident note. Kapsalis and her band convey the character of an ensemble that’s comfortable within itself, made of players who communicate on a subliminal level. And from all available evidence, they’re having a good time doing it