Charlotte, N.C.’s Robin Rogers makes a notable major label debut with this album, featuring a backing sextet led by her husband, guitarist Tony Rogers, who also co-wrote seven of the CD’s songs with Robin.

The most striking of those originals is “Color-Blind Angel,” which took second place in the 2007 International Songwriting Competition among blues songs.

That song is done as an acoustic ballad here, where Rogers’ heartfelt vocal does a masterful job with the story of Viola Luizzo, a white Detroit housewife who went to Alabama to help in the civil rights struggle and was ambushed and killed on a deserted country road by Ku Klux Klan assassins. That tale from 1965 has faded from view and most fans will be too young to remember it, but Rogers’ performance brings that bit of history alive and shows us how far we’ve come in 43 years.

Elsewhere, Rogers’ throaty alto might remind fans of Susan Tedeschi’s work, particular on the gospel-flavored soul of “Ain’t No Use.” Tony Rogers has a sweet guitar tone, with many of the tunes bouncing along with a jazzy feel, such as the mid-tempo swinger, “Moan.”

Rogers, a teenage runaway who once abused alcohol and drugs, has been sober since 1989, so her hard-hitting view of “Drunkards Alley” rings true. And the strong woman walking away from a no-good man in “Can You Hear Me Now?” is as empowering as anything Tina Turner ever sang.

The title cut is a bold blues rocker, while “Don’t Leave Poor Me” places Rogers in a soul shuffle with Louisiana-style rhythms. But Rogers’ songwriting style is best when it’s taking R&B in new directions, such as in the provocative “Nobody Stays,” where she worries about life passing her by, as Tony’s jazzy guitar, Robin’s harmonica, and Tony Hayes on flute craft a soulful dreamland behind the vocal.

The Patriot Ledger