Rats

Sass Jordan never sounded more focused, confident and inspired than she does on Rats, which is undeniably her finest album. Some of Jordan's '80s efforts didn't fully illustrate just how compelling a singer she can be, but that's no problem on Rats. This CD finds the whiskey-voiced Canadian doing what she does best: tough, gritty, no-nonsense rock & roll with soul/R&B overtones and a heavy dose of blues feeling. Although Jordan is very much her own person, there's no denying the strong influence Tina Turner has had on her singing -- and Turner's influence serves Jordan impressively well on such gutsy, down-and-dirty offerings as "Ugly," "Damaged" and "Pissin' Down." If fact, this is the sort of rockin' album one wishes Turner would have recorded in 1994 (which isn't to say that the slick, glossy pop/rock and pop/R&B Turner provided in the 1990s wasn't enjoyable). With Jordan, Steve Salas and Nick Didia handling the production and studio ace Michael Wagener doing most of the mixing, all of the pieces fit together perfectly on Rats. This album was definitely Jordan's crowning achievement.