Photo by Peggy French
Saving Country Music
https://savingcountrymusic.com/album-review-india-rameys-baptized-by-the-blaze/
"This ravenesque honky tonk maven comes with a major dose of vintage Western vibes and just a hint of rockabilly to make it all feel dangerous, with songs that are fun, but aren’t afraid to speak to something deeper when inclined."
"Many of the women in country music these days love to sing about lighting stuff of fire to symbolically tease their empowerment. With India Ramey, you think she’ll actually haul off and do it."
"Ramey shows [off] a rather incredible range of skill when it comes to singing and writing music in classic American roots styles. Completely self-penned and produced by the highly respected Luke Wooten, Baptized By The Blaze has something for most any country and roots fan to find appeal in."
"Each song showcases Ramey’s wide vocal range and the confidence she delivers it with. There’s no holding back or restraint here. On Baptized By The Blaze, India Ramey goes for it."
"India Ramey uses cool country & Western language and styling to tell her story, and to positive results."
"Though the inspiration for the album might be heavy, this is one of those records that’s just entertaining to listen to, and perhaps a bit of escapism, or even inspiration for the rest of us to get some guts and confidence in facing down our own demons, or doing the difficult work of deconstructing the most self-defeating parts of ourselves."
No Depression
“On her new album Baptized by the Blaze, India Ramey is here to kick ass, play honky-tonk, and chew bubblegum — and she’s all out of gum.”
“Ramey presents a fascinating portrait of a honky-tonk queen who shows the way to having a good time even while expressing her vulnerability.”
“Ramey and her band teach us that honky-tonk queens have hearts that can break, and healing begets scar tissue.”
“Ramey presents us with a series of dichotomies on Baptized by the Blaze: the angel and the sinner, the lone rider and the longing for companionship, the life of the party and the lonely philosopher, the triumphant hero and the tender seeker. We all live somewhere in between those spaces at some point, and Ramey gifts us with the bravery to accept ourselves at all these points.”
The Bluegrass Situation
"No matter the delivery, Baptized By The Blaze charts out a journey of empowerment and recovery that is sure to provide strength and an upbeat honky-tonk soundtrack to anyone with a listening ear. It’s also proof that Ramey’s best work isn’t behind her and that her renewed focus has her poised for a bright future, despite the scars that once plagued her past."
Magnet Magazine
"...honky-tonk force of nature"
"Ramey has shifted from recovery to empowerment. “Down For The Count” is one of many tracks on Baptized By The Blaze that revel in this new-found strength."
Lonesome Highway
https://www.lonesomehighway.com/music-reviews/2024/8/19/new-album-reviews
“…twang laden delight.”
“This is an album of which Ramey and all the team involved can be justifiably proud, one that declares she is another contender for her place in that growing number of women who know what they want and know how to get it.”
The Amp
https://turnuptheamp.com/home/2024/8/21/review-india-ramey-baptized-by-the-blaze
"...hits the ground at a full gallop and barely stops for a breath over 30-plus blazing, twanging minutes."
"It’s a rousing blend of honky-tonk brash-and-sass, by turns invigorating and healing, exploring themes of rebirth, redemption and just plain kicking ass."
"The album weaves together foot-stompers and redemption songs. The commonality: The steel in her voice and the bite in her lyrics."
"...a barrel of fun."
"Baptized by the Blaze is like a shot of adrenaline right into my honky-tonk heart."
The Rocking Magpie
https://rockingmagpie.wordpress.com/2024/08/21/india-ramey-baptised-by-the-blaze/
“Honest to the bone honky tonk country of old, delivered with a high Americana creative energy."
"She comes at you full on with opening track, ‘Ain’t My First Rodeo’….kicking up a ruckus in the process as she hits the listener in the chest with her direct lyrics, backed by thrusting lead electric guitar, dazzling pedal steel and a bustling rhythm."
"No prisoners are taken or a single care to diplomacy or political correctness.
“Casual onlookers likewise need to watch out, for this lady means business."
"Admirers of the likes of good ol’ Country girls, Elizabeth Cook and Kelly Willis will adore Ramey who doesn’t mess around when she’s singing, it’s all business."
​
Americana Highways
https://americanahighways.org/2024/08/23/review-india-ramey-baptized-by-the-blaze/
"India straddles the fence between a rockabilly icon like Wanda Jackson with the glitter & pomp of Porter Wagoner if not the work of Mimi Roman/Kitty Ford (same artist) who was great...Throughout, she displays a country artist with 50s country-inflected vocals dipped in a formidable showcase filled with sharply-honed techniques."
"She has in abundance a Dolly Parton exuberance that’s undeniable."
The Alternate Root
http://www.thealternateroot.com/all-reviews/india-ramey-from-the-album-baptized-by-the-blaze
"Come on in for the Cow Punk, stay for the Outlaw Country and crooned ballads, all put together in the kick-ass package that is Ramey’s latest release in Baptized by the Blaze."
"...a record that revels in a Classic Country that is looking towards the future"
​
Turnstyled, Junkpiled
http://turnstyledjunkpiled.com/2024/09/07/india-ramey-baptized-by-the-blaze/
"Rising honky-tonk hero, India Ramey brings the heat on her fourth album, Baptized By The Blaze...a delectable dish of pure country bliss."
"Ramey bravely slays the dragons of her past, then marches forward to fight for others."
"...continuing in the outspoken tradition of honky-tonk angels from Kitty Wells to Wanda Jackson to Lindi Ortega, Ramey is not afraid to stand up to bullies and tell it like it is."
"...nothing is more fun than listening to India Ramey kick ass and take names. She is a honky-tonk hell raiser of the best kind."
Houston Press
“Baptized By The Blaze brings to the forefront Ramey’s intense lyrical strengths only matched by her voice that can rattle the walls as she digs deep inside her soul to deliver every line of truth.”
Twangville
https://twangville.com/2024/10/10/india-ramey-baptized-by-the-blaze/
“...a throwback combination of Bakersfield twang, New Jersey attitude, and Appalachian harmony. She threw in a little spaghetti-western flair and two-step rhythm on her recently released album, Baptized By The Blaze. The result is a set list that’s perfect for any honky-tonk in the country.
“One of the trailblazing aspects to Loretta Lynn and her music was the ability to couch a razor-sharp commentary about society’s biases in a popular country style that breezes right by you if you don’t listen closely. India Ramey possesses some of that same talent, but instead of a radio-friendly countrypolitan style it takes the fork in the road and musically pulls into a seedy honky-tonk just outside of town.”
Wild Mercury Rhythm
https://www.wildmercuryrhythm.com/p/india-ramey-baptised-by-the-blaze
"Ramey is specializing in country and western music, heavy on the western. She is most like Ashley McBryde in her singing and songwriting, but deals with considerably darker topics with greater cleverness."
"Ramey’s “sound” is cinematic, soundtrack ready for inclusion with neo-spaghetti westerns of Robert Rodriguez or Quentin Tarantino. Think of Ennio Morricone in therapy.”