Sierra Green was born and raised in the 7th Ward of New Orleans — the working-class neighborhood where legends like Jelly Roll Morton, Allen Toussaint, and Frank Ocean all cut their teeth. Green makes an old-school sound for the 21st century. It’s a sound influenced by her own Big Easy roots; from the gospel music she sang in her childhood church choir to the soul songs she performed on street corners during her busking days.
Now celebrated as the “Queen of Frenchmen Street,” she’s become one of the city’s hometown heroes, packing venues like Cafe Negril with her horn-driven band and a voice that channels its own mix of power, pain, and empowerment.
That voice takes center stage on Sierra’s solo debut, Here We Are. Recorded in New Orleans and Nashville with her six-piece backing band, The Giants, it’s a snapshot of an artist on the brink of a national breakthrough. At the same time, it’s very much a New Orleans project, too, with co-production from legendary pianist David Torkanowsky and reimagined versions of songs by locals like The Meters and The Revivalists. Sierra felt strongly about these songs. The meanings of some of the songs changed as now they were sung from a woman’s perspective.
Sierra Green & the Giants take this classic Ann Peebles cover, premiering exclusively today on American Blues Scene, and respectfully deliver it with as much power and passion as the original.
“My producer JD Simo chose this track for me but I love it. It’s funky, and while recording it the lyrics rang true to me cause this is how I flirt with men,” Sierra tells us, with a laugh. Continuing, “It’s a great track and I enjoy singing it. The song to me means two people who love each other and in hard times love can help you through the hard times.”
