The Lucky Losers - Godless Land (August 2020)

Vizztone

The Lucky Losers prove to be the one of the fast rising and best duo ensembles on the national scene....Within her vocals, Lemons possesses a supremely talented and developed instrument, as she can coo, tease, belt ballad, and bellow with supreme confidence and to great effect. She simply owns the songs she sings. Two terrific & important songwriters, vocalists, & musicians. In fact “Godless Land” proves their artistic arrival.

— Blues Music Magazine| Joseph Jordan| October 2020

The Lucky Losers - Blind Spot

An ANTIDOTE to the multitude of emotionally vacant singers, San Jose, California’s Cathy Lemons sounds genuinely wise, gritty, tender, wounded, and flirtatious, sometimes all at once. Fortunate to have harmonica champ Phil Berkowitz as her partner in songwriting and singing, she crystallizes her creative resolve to put across a program of smart, likeable originals, that sport winning riffs. Refreshingly mixing rock, blues, R&B, soul, and a dash of country, The Losers lean on technique and spirit equally. Special mention: Laura Chavez’s stirring lead guitar on Supernatural Blues.

— DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE | Frank John Hadley | August 2018

These are fresh, irresistible melodies…. (Cathy) Lemons voice is beautiful—simultaneously soothing and commanding…The Lucky Losers and all their guest players is spot-on, punchy, and clear…. They Simply can’t lose with their take on down-home, joyful, blues-drenched, blues-rocking.

— BLUES MUSIC MAGAZINE | Tom Clarke | October 2018

The Lucky Losers - In Any Town

“It was a little over a year ago that this writer praised the debut release by The Lucky Losers, “A Winning Hand.” Listening to the duo again, I remained especially impressed by Lemons natural and soulful delivery and Berkowitz’s own unforced vocals complement her so well. This is evident on the opening Berkowitz-Caron original “So High,” a strong performance that might evoke Delaney & Bonnie.

There is an unexpected, and very playful cover of the June and Johnny Cash duet, “Jackson,” that shows the rapport between the two. Lemons’ original “Don’t Let ’Em See Ya Cry,” is a powerful slow blues set against a backing that recalls some of the Johnnie Taylor blues for Stax in the late 60s and early 70s.

A cover of Bobby Charles’ “Small Town Talk,” closes another fine recording by Lemons and Berkowitz. The quality and variety of material and the crisp, uncluttered and unhurried backing contribute to another superior recording from The Lucky Losers.

— RON WEINSTOCK | Jazz & Blues, July |August Issue 367

The Lucky Losers - A Winning Hand

“Joining their voices for the first time on disc, San Franciscans Cathy Lemons and Phil Berkowitz have come up with a winning formula in a band they call “The Lucky Losers.” Their harmonies are particularly fine … (Lemons’) swinging “Suicide by Love” … features her singing along in the unique conversational manner that helps set her apart from other vocalists performing today….Berkowitz blows outstanding harmonica solos throughout.”

— LEE HILDEBRAND| Living Blues: Issue No. 238|Volume 46, #4 | August 2015

Cathy Lemons - Black Crow

“We have an album here that is far closer to the genuine blues than many of it’s contemporaries. The focus is on emotion and not on spectacle, which means it may not grab people who are used to the latter on first listen. However, if you stick with it, as you definitely should, you’ll be rewarded with a depth and richness that eludes the masses. This is a record that deserves repeated listens, that gives you something new on every pass. Each time it hits your record player you’ll love it just a little bit more.”

TONEMONKEY | IAN MCHUGH| July 16 2014

"She's lived a hard life, and the singing on her first solo album in many years lends credence to the typically suspect supposition that misfortune is a prerequisite for creating superior blues.... Lemons both salves the scars of the past and celebrates new feelings of freedom on her compositions "I’m Going to Try" and "You're In My Town". Thankfully forgoing sensory overload, she boogies, shuffles, and personalizes Earl King r&b, James Brown funk, and Kiernan Kane roots music with unfeigned ardor."

DOWN BEAT | FRANK-JOHN HADLEY| **** ("Black Crow" is highlighted in Hadley's Down Beat column |1 of 6 artists he listed in this 80'th Collector's Edition)

"Now at the top of her game with her new CD "Black Crow" her songwriting has taken flight."

BIG CITY RHYTHM & BLUES | ROGER AND MARGARET WHITE

"With Black Crow, Cathy Lemons should receive some much-deserved attention far beyond the Bay Area. She’s a talented and honest vocalist that doesn’t have to shout and scream to get her point across, a welcome variation from what is often perceived as the norm these days. "

BLUES BYTES |GRAHAM CLARKE

"One thing is certain…once you hear her, you will be a fan for life. This is music with a timeless quality that will have all the hitting power twenty years down the road that it does today. In this day and age when so much of what crosses my desk is some strange blues/rock combination, too often more rock than blues, this disc is refreshing as a glass of cold mountain spring water. This one is a keeper…a purchase you will not regret."

REFLECTIONS IN BLUE | BILL WILSON

"Smoking, velvet soul blues that’s right in the pocket throughout, Lemons impresses throughout with this mighty release. A winner throughout."

MIDWEST RECORD |CHRIS SPECTOR

Cathy Lemons - Lemonace

“After all, Cathy is the finest light-skinned female Blues vocalist in the U.S."

REAL BLUES MAGAZINE | ANDY “BLUESBOY” GRIGG

Cathy Lemons - Dark Road

"Cathy Lemons--she got it! That's the real blues--funky!"

JOHN LEE HOOKER