The group recorded eight albums for the Chicago-based Alligator Records label since 1990, and two of their '90s albums -- Cleaning House (1996) and Old, New, Borrowed Blue (1994) -- showcase the trio's songwriting skills, although there are also a few covers, reinterpreted in their own distinctive way. These acoustic musicians inject a sense of humor into their songs and take it with them on-stage. There is also a strong thread of feminism running through Saffire and their recorded output. The group's other albums for Alligator include their 1990 debut, Saffire -- The Uppity Blues Women (1990), Hot Flash (1991), and Broadcasting (1992). Their prolific output as songwriters is matched only by their desire to tour, as they perform everywhere and anywhere, having already made several U.S., Canadian, and European tours. In 1998 the trio released Live and Uppity, a rousing document of their crowd-pleasing stage act. After a five-year layoff since their last studio recording (during which time Rabson recorded two solo records), Saffire returned with another strong record, Ain't Gonna Hush, in 2001. Havin' the Last Word appeared in 2009.
The group's fundamental appeal -- to growing numbers of music fans who don't know much about blues -- is their original songs and their ability to dig up and reinterpret old blues gems from the 1920s and '30s. They specialize in songs made by the sassy original blues divas including Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Memphis Minnie, and Ida Cox. ~ Richard Skelly, Rovi