Early in 2013, Chicago Blues singer, Shirley Johnson, called me and asked me to write 9 songs for her next CD. We got together for lunch, hung out at her place, I went to her shows and we got to know each other. She told me some great, juicy and highly personal stories about her life. I listened, went home and started writing. She asked me to demo the tunes so her band could learn them. So I started recording rhythm tracks. One thing about me and songwriting, when I turn on the tap it starts running!! I'm what you'd call prolific; With ideas from hanging with Shirley and from other sources, pretty soon I’d written and produced 19 tunes! I decided to flesh out 11 of the songs with my band and they became this collection. Meanwhile, my favorite engineer, Jim Godsey, and I rendezvous every Tuesday to make music. We've made a number of discs together and were working on some pretty traditional blues for my last CD, Clarksdale. One day he plays me this new sound coming out of England that blew my mind wide open! It was like all my favorite old stuff but new. I love classic Soul and R&B, from Chicagoans Otis Clay, Johnnie Taylor and Tyrone Davis to Motown, Memphis & Muscle Shoals. I never get tired of listening to Otis or Aretha records. I’m hooked on the back beat and a fool for the blues. I love B-3, a good horn section, solid songs & tight arrangements. All that stuff, old & new, marinated in my soul, blended with love and brewed up fresh is served hot on this disc straight from the Heart ‘O’ Chicago. I hate naming things, coming up with a name seems so important and so final. I was casting about for a name for this collection, one that really said "Chicago" and spoke to the classic soul feel I was going for in this disc. There is an old, mid-century motor-lodge that I've been driving past for years called Heart 'O' Chicago Motel. It's so much a part of Chicago to me that I'd really feel like something was missing without that iconic sign glowing in the night as I'd drive home from a gig. I drove past it on my way home from the studio one night and had "Eureka!!" moment, that's where the name came from! Chicago is my home. I love to travel and I've been lucky to visit some of the greatest places in the world, but I always get a rush when I see that old skyline and roll up Lake Shore Drive. I really feel this city. Yes it's got terrible winters. Yes it's got corrupt politics. Yes there are murders and rats and all the problems that come with millions of people trying to live together, but it's also got this gritty, no BS, beauty that I've not found anyplace else. It's also got some of the best musicians in the world and has created some of the ripest funk and deepest grooves going. In Chicago most people don't become stars, they make the music because the have to, because they're driven by the passion to make a groove. I've drafted some of the best, hottest and most passionate groove makers to record this disc and they all brought their A-game. To my friends who play on these 11 tracks, I can’t thank you enough. This is my 2nd collaboration with bassist Darryl Wright. His ability with arrangements makes these forms fresh. I've wanted to play with guitarist, Minoru Maruyama, since I heard him with Billy Branch years ago. Listen to his cool guitar chops and you’ll get it. The soul searing voice of Charlie Love tears your heart to pieces on two great duet tracks. I can't wait to work with him again! Paying tribute to the Chicago blues sound, I drafted two great harp players. Billy Branch played on 3 tracks of my ‘02 Earwig CD, “Back In Love Again.” He’s returned to grace two tracks here with his conversational style. I’m proud to present Chicagoan Dizzy Bolinski’s debut recording. He’s spent his life (when not sweet talking women or roaring down the road on a Harley) at the feet of the masters, crafting his own sound. This is my third lucky break to record with the legendary Eddie Shaw. His sexy sax still has all the bite of a junk yard dog and the rough caress of a lusty lover. Joan Gand at the Hammond B-3 recalls Memphis soul man, Booker T Jones, and brings a jazz flavor to the piano with her stellar abilities at the keys. She’s scary good on six tracks here. Section leader, Wade Baker, plays trumpet like Miles, put together a killer horn section in days and they knocked out all these tracks in one intense session. Everybody worked like pit bulls on this project and looked damn good doing it! This CD represents the kind of music Chicagoans have made since I’ve been here paying attention to it: butt-rockin’, shake your shimmy and get your wiggle on music. Get it now, put it in your ears, simmer, build to climax and repeat. Liz Mandeville, Chicago, 2014