The word itself sounds so simple, but depending on how it fits into your psyche, it can mean so many different things.

Blue!

Sad? You feel blue. The sky? It’s blue. A sailor gets dressed up? He’s wearing his blues?

But far and away, when you say "the blues" you are talking about the music of black America that is getting a swirling treatment at the Stackner Cabaret in "Low Down Dirty Blues," a glimpse into late night at Big Mama’s Place.

With all the sin and sanctity that drips off the blues, four outstanding performers take a largely white audience through the journey of the evolution of a quintessential form of American music.

The journey on stage may not be a strict trip through the historic development of the American blues that began in the sharecropper fields in the south and the backwoods shambles of tiny music and dance clubs.

The story, though, is told through two distinct sides to the blues, and told eloquently by Felicia Fields, who plays Big Mama, Chic Street Man, the guitar player, Caron "Sugarray" Rayford, the big man on stage and Robert Stephens who plays the piano like Sunnyland Slim.

The first half of the show is all the dirt and sex and hustle of the raucous blues that was reserved, in the early days, for exclusively black audiences. It’s full of the kind of lyrics and titles that go to the heart of the social mores of a black population. Songs like "Rough and Ready Man," "Rub My Back" and "Don’t Jump My Pony," are classic examples of the almost explicit  recounting of the gathering of two people to do the nasty.

Maybe the brightest spot, and the one that made so many of the women in the audience blush, was when Fields took over for "If I Can Sell It." It’s a clear story of a woman protecting her sexual favors and putting a high value on them. The original song was recorded by blues legend Ruth Brown. You can see a video of Brown and the song here.

The audience in the intimate confines of the Stackner were rockin’ and rolling along with the music. Giggles could be heard frequently at the deeply suggestive lyrics. Everyone got a chance to breathe when intermission rolled around and you could see people talking, shaking their heads, obviously over how in your face the music was.

It was after intermission that the blues took on a life that was a reflection of the emotional turmoil of black people who moved into the north in search of a better life, which some say is what the blues is all about.

It began with a duet from Rayford and Chic on the Howlin’ Wolf classic, "Spoonful" about the battles that could be fought over even small amounts of something everyone wanted.

The second act took off, though, when Fields climbed into "I'd Rather Go Blind," the Etta James classic about how bad a woman could feel about a cheating man. You can hear James sing the song here.

On the heels of that one came one of the all-time blues classics made famous by the brilliant but doomed Billie Holliday. "Good Morning Heartache" belongs in the pantheon of music about the sadness of the soul without love. Hollidays version is here.

And the final brick in this building was Chic’s  heartfelt and unique take on the 50-year-old anthem "A Change is Gonna Come." The song, written and sung by Sam Cooke, was inspired by events in Cooke’s life and tells the story of both the struggles for, and the confidence that, a change in the way white Americans and black Americans lived together, was coming.

It was a powerful exclamation point to what is a very emotional evening. Sitting in the dark, watching and listening, I felt an incredible array tremors. I loved the joy, laughed at the humor, was warmed and titillated by the sex, was moved to tears by the sadness and, in the end, was fascinated by this production that touches so deeply into your heart.

"Low Down Dirty Blues" runs through May 24.