James Sherry & Just Najima (with Eric Matchett)

Arizona doesn't take part in Daylight Savings Time. Meaning that during the summer months we are effectively on Pacific Time & during the winter months Mountain TIme. We apologize for the inconvenience.

James Sherry is the author of 10 books of poetry and prose. He is editor of Roof Books and president of the Segue Foundation, Inc. in New York City. Born in Philadelphia in 1946, Mr. Sherry graduated Reed College in 1968 with a Woodrow Wilson fellowship. In 1976 he began Roof Magazine and started Segue Foundation in 1977. He worked for several years as a freelance writer and in 1980 began working in technology for IBM and various Wall Street firms. In 2011 he joined the Occupy Alternative Bank subgroup and remains active in that group. He lives in New York City with his wife, Deborah Thomas, publisher of Extra!, the magazine of Fairness And Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR). They have one son, Ben, 21 years old.

The long-awaited debut from Just Najima doesn't disappoint for fans of old school soul and rhythm and blues, but perhaps the most surprising thing about an album mapped in the footprints of the foremothers of blues and soul is just how timely, personal and relevant this album is. Like a well-timed manifesto delivered over shots of whiskey by your worldwise older sister or out-of-fucks-to-give best friend, singer and composer Najima has a secret to share with you that can't wait until tomorrow. And that secret is that soul and the blues aren't relics of the past. They're a living, breathing diary of the state of the world right now, and that world is kind of a mess, honestly.

On opening tracks "Rolling" and "Ain't Got No Time (for this shit)," Rainey declares independence from the expectation, angst and drama of modern relationships. If you want her to come on over, she says to potential lovers, you better be prepared for her to keep on rolling and if you want her to stick around, you better not waste her precious time. The implicit message to listeners is an invitation to go and do likewise.

On "America Blues," Rainey transforms old school blues tropes into a state by state tour of racial injustice in a modern America while "Somebody's Talking Bout Jesus" updates a turn of the century classic into a commentary on religious and moral hypocrisy. "Wicked World" is a frenzied gospel call to revolution and reclamation.

"Rainbow to Follow" is a soul-infused and optimistic piano ballad that sounds equal parts Aretha and Carole King. The song is a fitting coda to the record, a restorative tincture for the emotional roller coaster and moral call to action that is Queenie.

(From Tucson Sentinel music roundup by Julie Jennings Patterson)

Najima Rainey also has a MFA in Creative Writing from the U of A.

Just Najima will be accompanied by on guitar by multi-talented musician Eric Matchett.

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