Reneé Austin retraces her Southern roots

Hardly the giant studio you might envision for a singer with a national recording contract, Kevin Bowe's home recording space actually looks more like a child's playroom. It's in a corner of his basement in southwest Minneapolis, laden with candy-colored guitars and recording gadgets that look like toys for big boys.

The setting suited Reneé Austin just fine in January, when she and Bowe (her co-producer) were laying down vocals for her second album with San Francisco blues label Blind Pig Records.

A playroom-ready playfulness was just what the doctor ordered when it came to that day's recording, "Chicken Coop," a rousing, double-entendre-filled boogie-woogie tune about a whorehouse.

"I found my rooster making hay with the ladies of the local chicken coop," Austin bellowed through the microphone. "When I get my wings on him, I'll wring his neck alright. And no matter how loud he cries, he's gonna rest in peace right next to some greasy fries."

After singing it, Austin seemed taken aback.

"The song's so unlike anything I've ever done before -- I love it," she said.

Co-written with Bowe, "Chicken Coop" is one of 11 tracks on "Right About Love," Austin's follow-up to her well-received debut, "Sweet Talk." The disc comes out Tuesday, preceded by a show tonight at Bunkers in Minneapolis.

Where "Sweet Talk" showcased Austin's powerhouse vocal talents -- fashioned after howling R&B greats such as Etta James and Mavis Staples -- "Right About Love" is all about her love of Southern music and the South's funky, chicken-fried vibe.

"I wanted to home in on my Texas roots," said the Twin Cities blues-rocker, who grew up in Kingsland, Texas, a rural scrub-brush town about an hour northwest of Austin.

She followed a romantic partner to the Twin Cities in the mid-'90s and never left (although the guy is history; she's now married to local photographer Jason Wood).

The genesis of the new album was in Texas, where she stayed with family last fall while writing songs with David Grissom, the ex-Storyville guitarist who's now the Dixie Chicks' bandleader, and with former Stevie Ray Vaughan bassist Tommy Shannon.

"I grew up listening to Stevie and the Fabulous Thunderbirds," Austin said, "and even though they were categorized as blues artists, like me, I loved that they and a lot of other Texas artists like Delbert [McClinton] dabble in rock and R&B and all kinds of rootsy music. I wanted to do that."

Austin certainly covers a variety of styles on "Right About Love," from the swampy blues-rock of the opening cut, "Mouth of the Delta," to the happy-trails country closer, "Mister Cowboy." Standouts include "Harder Than It Has to Be," a John Hiatt-like Southern rocker, and the slow-burning, soulful title track.

The recording of the album did start in a hi-fi studio, the Terrarium in Minneapolis, where the instrumental parts were played in January by local vets such as former Jonny Lang players Dik Shopteau, who's also a producer on the album, and Billy Thommes.

Once the basic tracks were laid, Austin said she was able to relax and experiment with her vocals while working without a clock at Bowe's and Shopteau's home studios.

"Sometimes a singer can go in and nail a song on the first day, but not every time," she said. "It was especially important to take my time with this record."

Said Bowe, "Reneé can sing a song a dozen different ways, but she knows when it's right for her."

A songwriter for the likes of Lang and Etta James -- and the second guitarist on Paul Westerberg's spring tour -- Bowe was Austin's main collaborator on "Sweet Talk," which was nominated in Memphis' blues-only W.C. Handy Awards for best debut.

Austin's trust in Bowe showed during the making of the new album when she agreed to sing "Bugs," a quirky Bobbie Gentry song about things that go bzzz and whirrr in the night. In the end, it's one of the disc's best cuts.

"It actually might be the most Southern song of the bunch," said Austin, who was reminded of just how big the creepy-crawly things can get in hotter climates when a spider landed in her hair in Texas.

"That's one thing about the South I don't miss," she said.

Austin plans an official CD-release party at Famous Dave's Uptown in October, following a steady month and a half of touring, including dates with Delbert McClinton.

IF YOU GO: Reneé Austin

When: 9 p.m. Sun.

Where: Bunkers, 761 Washington Av. N., Mpls.

Tickets: $5. 612-338-8188.

Chris Riemenschneider is at chrisr@startribune.com.