“Magness lives in the same rarefied vocal realm as Irma Thomas and Etta James…
With raw energy and defiant vocals, the singer proclaims her resilience and testifies her hard-as-steel personality that’s been burnished in the fires of her life.”
— Living Blues
“Here’s the thing about Magness: she makes you feel like you do know her, even if you’ve never met. Just listen to her music. She has the capacity to receive, internalize and channel emotion in a way that would likely destroy most humans.”
“That ‘no rules’ attitude is all over Hard to Kill, both lyrically and musically. Magness is undisputedly rooted in the blues, but she’s not a blues purist. Here, she takes the power and pathos of the blues in other directions.”
“Her unique and often hard-hitting vocal style delivers each track with raw honesty and emotion making her one of the top blues, R&B and Americana singers today.”
“The tendency on covers collections like this is to focus on what’s not included. But Janiva Magness does a terrific job mixing often rejiggered yet recognizable choices with a handful of obscurities for a well-rounded collection that often puts a fresh spin on Fogerty’s compositions while displaying Magness’ powerful voice and well-honed interpretive skills. ”
