JANIVA MAGNESS

“I have to, I must, I want to bring myself, always, to anything I’m singing. I’m not going to choose a song, ever, if I cannot bring myself to the story. I have to be able to do that. I have to be able to be authentic in it, even if I didn’t pen the words.”

That cuts to the heart of the force guiding Janiva Magness as she sought out songs for her new album, Back for Me. Produced by her longtime friend, producer and collaborator Dave Darling, the album is a powerfully engaging, emotionally rich collection from a dynamic artist who continues to renew and redefine her widely celebrated relationship with the blues. Janiva’s far- ranging search for songs has unearthed a treasure chest of lesser-known gems by well-known artists (Bill Withers, Ray LaMontagne, Allen Toussaint, Doyle Bramhall II, Tracy Nelson, Irma Thomas) and deep-dive discoveries that connect with the rich feelings embodied in her voice and music, cherished by her fans. 

Back for Me is the 17th album for Magness, who has been honored with seven Blues Music Awards (including being named B.B. King Artist of the Year in 2009) and a Grammy Awards Contemporary Blues nomination for her 2016 album, Love Wins Again. It follows the 2019 publication of her memoir, Weeds Like Us, a vividly portrayed account of both the traumas of her youth (her parents’ suicides and her often-nightmarish experiences in the foster care system) and the hard-earned triumphs that have fueled her growth as an artist and in life, stories that also inspired her 2022 album, Hard to Kill.