“Church, and Elvis. Pretty good stuff huh! Oh, and my Dad of course. He played a bit of guitar and he sounds like the real honky tonk deal when he sings Hank Williams and Johnny Cash and the old stan- dards like Fraulein, Fraulein,” Lisa said and smiled.

Her new album, Tempered in Fire, is one of the best CDs to land on my desk in a while, a set of songs reared in gospel, saturated in the blues and sprinkled with rock.

A friend with connections sent some of her tunes to Sam Andrew, the guitar player for Big Brother and the Holding Company, who wrote two of their biggest hits “Call on Me” and “Combination of the Two.” He was so impressed with Lisa that he hired her to tour three years with the band, filling some very big shoes – Janis Joplin.

She actually has a major following in Europe where they mostly toured. And that’s where she met Roy Williams (Robert Plant’s sound engineer) who saw her potential as a solo artist.

On Tempered Lisa goes through a range of tunes, a couple originals, Otis Redding’s “These Arms of Mine,” and two of my favorite Wet Willie numbers “Keep on Smiling” and “Countryside of Life.”

All 10 of the songs have a blues edge to them, and she clearly has both a love and understanding of the genre.

“When it’s (the blues) good, it’s good. I don’t think it’s ever gone anywhere and I don’t think its ever going away and it’s just a wave of love and appreciation. It’s timeless, it’s about human emotion, it’s the good stuff man, the good stuff!,” Lisa said. Jim Clark Mississippi native belts out sultry blues

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Lisa Mills is blessed. Blessed, that is, with a vocal abilities that seem to encompass and embody every cliché ever applied to a gruff, gargle-with-broken-glass yet velvety-smooth voice. It’s a remarkable instrument indeed, and she employs it magnificently on Tempered In Fire, her natural melisma and southern drawl at times reminiscent of Lucinda Williams, while elsewhere she exudes the fiery passion and gritty intensity of the late, great Otis Redding. –John Taylor, BLINDED BY SOUND (December 30, 2011)

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It is no secret to anyone who knows me that I love female blues singers. I even wrote a book about them! So, discovering Lisa Mills’ Tempered in Fire was like discovering buried treasure for me. Mills has a real blues voice. She has been described as “a full-throated female Otis Redding,” and I can see that. To me, she has the passion and emotion of Etta James or Bonnie Raitt, with a slightly ragged voice perfect for the blues. At times, her voice reminds me of Bonnie Tyler or Sheryl Crow. – Rhetta Akamatsu, BC PREMIUM (December 14, 2011)

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“All in all, “Tempered in Fire” is the best surprise disc I have uncovered in many years. It is a stellar performance by a singer I certainly hope to hear a lot more of, and backed by a lean and mean band who knows how far to push and when to lay back. This one will be playing in my car for a long, long time.” - Mike Hyland, SONOMA VALLEY SUN (Nov 17, 2011)

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While her voice is full of power and the band is slick as greased lightening, most of the tempos are slow to middling, which means this set is for sitting back and absorbing a voice you won’t believe you haven’t heard before, and a band you hope you’ll hear again.” - By Wesley Britton, BLOGCRITICS.ORG, Seattle PI (Post Intelligencer online) (Nov 14, 2011)

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“Tempered in Fire, is one of the best CDs to land on my desk in a while, a set of songs reared in gospel, saturated in the blues and sprinkled with rock.” - Jim Clark, Lee County Courier-Tupelo, Mississippi (Dec 01, 2011)

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” I pulled a heart attack while listening to this disc, it would’ve required the skills of a half-dozen surgeons to get the grin of pleasure off my face… I suggest you grab this smokin’ disc. - Mark S Tucker, FAME review for Folk Music Exchange (Nov 21, 2011)

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“LISA MILLS/Tempered in Fire: This album answers the question of what Bonnie Raitt would have sounded like if she hadn’t gone into a pop vein after her third album…Everything you ever loved about Muscle Shoals and blue eyed soul is here on proud display. A great time throughout. ” – Chris Spector, MIDWEST RECORD – CHICAGO, IL (Nov 13, 2011)

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“With her unique vocal ability to make one feel the good times and bad times in every song, Lisa Mills may elicit comparisons to Lucinda Williams or Delbert. With “Tempered In Fire,” she has the chops to achieve breakout success! ” – Sheryl and Don Crow, Nashville Blues Society (Nov 14, 2011)