Product Description
RELEASE DATE MARCH 20, 2026 - LAURA CHAVEZ - MY VOICE
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Laura Chavez is an American blues, soul, and rhythm and blues guitarist, songwriter and record producer. She has worked with many other musicians, including Deborah Coleman, Candye Kane, Dani Wilde, The Mannish Boys, Mike Ledbetter, Monster Mike Welch, Vanessa Collier, Casey Hensley and Whitney Shay. Her playing style is based in the Texas and Chicago blues traditions, both classic and modern genres.
In 2021, she was nominated at the 42nd Blues Music Awards in the category 'Instrumentalist - Guitar'. This was her second such nomination, as Chavez had been listed two years earlier in the same category. In 2023, Chavez finally triumphed in the same category 'Instrumentalist - Guitar'.
LAURA CHAVEZ
My Voice
Ruf Records
Although she plays up to 300 gigs a year, within the States and overseas, you may not know her name or music. YET! Guitarist Laura Chavez, although shy and self-effacing in person, is a blues powerhouse, and we don’t say that lightly. She’s just released her first solo recording, My Voice and it’s a listener’s dream. She doesn’t sing, and her “voice” is her guitar.
It’s been almost 20-years since she’s envisioned putting her own album out. It’s been well worth the wait. It’s an all-instrumental recording, which in lesser hands could prove tricky or even problematic. However, the sheer brilliance of Chavez’s lead guitar work makes this a stunning debut.
Playing her faithful Fiesta Red Fender Strat, this San Diego, CA, artist produced the recording, along with label owner Thomas Ruf, with assistance from drummer Marty Dodson. The five-original, five-cover CD was recorded over four days in November of 2025 in Germany.
Says Chavez, “I tried to make sure the album focused on songs with grooves and strong melodies that were also varied by feel and style to keep it interesting.” The album is indeed interesting, intense, and captivating.
The ten-song, 38-minute album kicks off with “Born On The Bayou, a dedication to her Creedence-loving Dad. It’s gritty, tough, and a perfect opener to the nine songs that follow.
“Mind Your Step” creates a Texas meets Chicago blues hybrid with a terrific riff leading in to an incendiary mid-song solo. It’s reminiscent in feel to “Town Without Pity.” The track has a lovely melody and is, no surprise here, is extremely well played. “El Cascabel,” a Mariachi standard, displays Chavez’s affinity for Latin-root music. Along with the two other tracks, “Mamba Negra” and “La Llorona,” they’re a very pleasant departure from the rest of the album, and listeners will be glad she included the three of them.
“So Long Baby, Goodbye,” an ode to her beloved California, showcases the 2023 Blues Music Award winner Chavez’s catchy and hook-lading skills. That was the first time a woman ever won this prestigious award. The song is an invigorating tune, admirably standing up to surf and open road classics. “Chinese Checkers” showcases Chavez’s devoted appreciation for Booker T and the MG’s music with this respectful and unique tune.
Blues lovers can rejoice in the 12-bar “Napa Street,” a blistering mid-tempo highlight. Her solo work within this tune is authentically West Coast and a hell of a lot of fun to hear coming out of your car radio rolling down the mighty Pacific Coast Highway.
The CD closes with a most welcome slow blues, “La Llorona,” (Weeping Woman) a wistful, haunting, and melancholic track which continues Chavez’s skilled guitar chops. Casual and hard-core dedicated listeners won’t at all be sorry to pick My Voice up, it’s an album that’s just that good.
– Joseph Jordan