Vocalist Deb Ryder matches her unquestionable blues-mama bona fides with some of the smartest lyric sets dropped in the genre this year.  The Chicago-born Ms. R smolders and scorches her way around sassy, savvy workouts such as the leadoff “Ain’t Gonna Be Easy”, “Panic Mode” and, along with Sugaray Rayford, one of the hottest r&b duets one’s likely to come across these days, “Get A Little Steam Up”.  Ms. Ryder keeps more good company with sidemen such as guitarist Albert Lee and keyboardists Mike Finnigan and Jim Pugh.