Robin Banks in performance at Redbones, The Blues Cafe, Braemar Avenue, on Friday, May 11. -Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer

Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer

Not even a blown head gasket on her car, a casualty of Spur Tree Hill in Manchester, could stop Robin Banks from making it to Redbones the Blues Café from Negril, Westmoreland, to show legs and sass while singing on Friday night.

In fact, after the first hour of music for an audience that had by then long got involved in her performance, Banks announced intermission and a promise to be back for more, saying "Hell, I ain't got a car. I can't leave."

And she sang "my ass was built for comfort, my legs were built for comfort, I got everything a good man needs", slapping her right hand against a short black skirt clad thigh in time to Omar on guitar, Dale on bass, Sheldon on keyboards and Chris on drums, who took it down to a cry of 'bravo' and strong applause.

Let your hair down

It was in appreciation of a mostly happy hour, despite the blues name of the café and the nature of the singer, who initially invited all to "let your hairdown baby, now let's have a ball", hers already swinging on her shoulders. A guitar and a keyboard solo set the tone for the rest of the evening, as did the hand slapping against the thigh and Banks' irrepressible nature.

"Ladies, I'll give up alcohol as long as there is a good man putting it in," she said, two prods of her hips leaving no doubt as to the place and pace of the putting.

"We go to New Orleans for this one," Banks said, standing with legs together and jigging in place as the uptempo music hit, a keyboard solo coming before the music hit. "I got my mojo working. My car don't, though. It's all right," she said at the end.

On the next number, Banks chortled her need to "change neighbourhood/I aint doing so bad at all, but I aint doing so good". The band picked it up as Banks sang "I cried my eyes out, can't cry no more", doing an extended scat of 'squidly didley', her left thigh jerking. There was a chorus of 'yeah!' from the audience at the end.

let the good times roll

B.B. King's The Thrill is Gone and the encouragement to "let the good times roll" were followed by the command to "scream for my ass", which was dutifully followed. "Ladies, I have one for you," Banks said and sang, "you can have my husband, please don't mess with my man," to yelps from the audience. "I got your attention now!" Banks said. And she did, keeping it with Mustang Sally as hands clapped and palms slapped on a few tables in time to the beat. "This is a genuine blues ending," Banks said, singing, "you got to put your funky, stink, cheesy," the adjective with emphatic notes from the band and coming faster until the closing, "you got to put your funk feet back on the ground."

"Where are all the sexy men?" Banks demanded over the very strong applause. There was little response until she asked for "all the men who like to make love. To a woman, with a big ass", there were cheers and she was off into her final song before intermission, Banks saying, "I got Tina Turner legs y'all. I got it going on. I don't give a damn how much money the man makes, as long as he can push it in," she sang, prodding her hips to whoops of delight.

The din of the drinkers rose during the half-hour break and did not subside as the band reopened the stage action without Banks. "That was my cue?" she asked, coming up from the audience as the song ended. It was a slow start to the second half, Banks musing "I got trouble up ahead of me" and leaving the stage a bit while Omar did an extended solo.

And it was more of the risqué when she returned, Banks doing an informal survey to find those wearing black drawers before singing of same and going uptempo.