27 Jun
In The Key of Lightnin,2002 by Lightnin' Hopkins
Thursday, 27 June 2002
Published in
Blues - CD Reviews
Sam "Lightnin’" Hopkins (1912-1982) was and is a pivotal figure in the history of the blues. Like John Lee Hooker, he bridged rural blues and urban blues, acoustic picking …
19 Jun
Blues Around The Clock by Various Artists
Wednesday, 19 June 2002
Published in
Blues - CD Reviews
Spanning a period of 16 years (1969-1985), "Blues Around The Clock" is a jazz influenced blues timepiece from the vaults of Pablo Records, the brainchild of Norman Granz. I…
13 Jun
Live at Sugar Hill - Volume Two by John Lee Hooker
Thursday, 13 June 2002
Published in
Blues - CD Reviews
International/Detroit Blues icon John Lee Hooker (1917-2001) was not exactly under-recorded in his lifetime - he has many albums on many labels, recorded in contexts rangin…
15 May
Long Way Around: An Anthology 1991-2001 by Chris Whitley
Wednesday, 15 May 2002
Published in
Blues - CD Reviews
Chris Whitley is an eclectic blues-based musician - notice I didn’t say "Blues musician" or "blues/rock guy," because those are labels that don’t really fit. He’s got a voi…
14 May
When The Sun Goes Down: The First Time I Met The Blues by Various Performers
Tuesday, 14 May 2002
Published in
Blues - CD Reviews
Everything’s gotta come from somewhere, right? Crosby begat Dino and Ol’ Blue Eyes, Bird begat Cannonball and Phil Woods, and so on. At the risk of sounding like Mr. Hyperb…
17 Apr
Live At Buiscuits & Blues by Phillip Walker Big Band
Wednesday, 17 April 2002
Published in
Blues - CD Reviews
September 24 will see the release of Phillip Walker’s first live CD. The veteran bluesman has logged thousands of live performances since the mid 1950’s but this liv…
15 Apr
When The Sun Goes Down: Thats Chicagos South Side by Various Artists
Monday, 15 April 2002
Published in
Blues - CD Reviews
Mention "Chicago Blues" to even the most casual of Blues and Rock & Roll fans, and they’ll think the Holy Names of Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon and Howlin’ Wolf, the Chicagol…
10 Mar
Field Recordings Volume 15, Mississippi 1941 - 1942 by Asa Ware David Edwards Roxie Threadgill Sid Hemphil
Sunday, 10 March 2002
Published in
Blues - CD Reviews
These are remarkable blues historical documents, painstakingly restored so that the vocals and performances come across well and without distortion. There are a total of 23…
28 Feb
Times Aint Like They Used To Be - Volume 6 by Various Artists
Thursday, 28 February 2002
Published in
Blues - CD Reviews
It’s compilations like this that make some of us musicheads flinch in frustrated humility, that make us realize how much we DON’T know about the vast history of America’s m…
28 Feb
Catfish Blues: Mississippi Blues Volume 3 (1936 - 1942) by Robert Petway Mississippi Matilda and Sonny Boy Nelson
Thursday, 28 February 2002
Published in
Blues - CD Reviews
Do you like the old-time blues? Then you will be delighted with this great compilation for Document Records by Paul Swinton. This is a collection of 23 classic blues songs …
19 Feb
Bogarts Bounce by J.W. Jones Blues Band
Tuesday, 19 February 2002
Published in
Blues - CD Reviews
Here’s a band that’s gonna burn a flaming groove across the blues world. Ottawa, Canada guitarist J.W. Jones offers his second CD on the NorthernBlues label and it’s a winn…
19 Feb
Stuck On The Way Back by David Jacobs-Strain
Tuesday, 19 February 2002
Published in
Blues - CD Reviews
Here’s a young guitarist to watch. David Jacobs-Strain was born in New England and now makes his home in Eugene, Oregon. Born in 1983, the youthful artist was influenced by…
18 Feb
Frankie & Albert by Mississippi John Hurt
Monday, 18 February 2002
Published in
Blues - CD Reviews
To many people, "da blooz" is a lot of 12-bar structure, hot licks that drive the crowd wild and my-baby-she-done-left-me spiel, but there’s a class of blues player that do…
16 Feb
Tommy McClennan: Volume 1, The Complete Recordings 1939 - 1940 by Tommy McClennan
Saturday, 16 February 2002
Published in
Blues - CD Reviews
Tommy McClennan was a remarkable blues singer performer, blessed with a clear, loud, strong voice that sang every word clearly and with power, he could move an audience wit…
23 Jan
Round The Table Again by Doc Watson & Frosty Morn
Wednesday, 23 January 2002
Published in
Blues - CD Reviews
Whasis? Doc Watson - isn’t he a [gasp] "folk singer?" Well, yes and no - calling this singer/guitarist par excellence a "folk" musician is as appropriate as calling Ray Cha…
21 Jan
The Future Of The Blues by Various Artists
Monday, 21 January 2002
Published in
Blues - CD Reviews
By some standards, NorthernBlues Music, formed in 2000 is a relative newcomer to the scene. The Canadian label under the direction of blues-lover, Fred Litwin, has proved i…
Folk and blues fans are excited about Otis Taylor’s return to performing and recording. The Chicago born entertainer now lives in Boulder, Colorado and is making a comeback…
Moments before beginning this review, I received a joyful note from NorthernBlues advising me that the Harry Manx CD titled "Dog My Cat" has received the Canadian Indie Awa…
12 Jan
The Very Best of Freddy King by Freddy King
Saturday, 12 January 2002
Published in
Blues - CD Reviews
I could go on about how this particular King isn’t as popular as B.B. or Albert, and that’s because he died young, or made some less-than-incredible albums in the 70s, blah…
09 Jan
The Best of Freddy King - Volume 3 by Freddy King
Wednesday, 09 January 2002
Published in
Blues - CD Reviews
Though the late blues guitarist/singer Freddy King (a.k.a. "Freddie" King) is not as well known (in America at least) as B.B. or Albert, he may be even more influential on …
02 Jan
Live Around The World by Junior Wells
Wednesday, 02 January 2002
Published in
Blues - CD Reviews
The late Junior Wells was one of the original top-shelf Chicago Blues guys - before establishing himself a bandleader/performer, he replaced harmonica god Little Walter in …
Pamela Rose's You could have it all is a winning collection of contemporary blues. Driven in large part by Tony Stead's Hammond B-3 Organ, the music has a funky puls…
Jean Jacques Milteau is a blues harmonica player from the Gallic nation of France who’s set out to tip his figurative beret (in the form of an album, natch) to the iconic s…
12 Jul
Cold Wind Blues by Colwell-Winfield Blues Band
Thursday, 12 July 2001
Published in
Blues - CD Reviews
The Colwell-Winfield Blues Band have only two albums to their credit, "Cold Wind Blues (1968)" and "Live Bust (1971)." As this album testifies, regardless of their l…
11 Jul
The Rhythm & Blues Years by The Pretty Things
Wednesday, 11 July 2001
Published in
Blues - CD Reviews
There was not ever anything pretty about this band. I think coming up with the name The Pretty Things was a twist of sarcasm and irony for these down an dirty Britis…
24 Jun
Muddy Waters (1941 - 1950) by Muddy Waters
Sunday, 24 June 2001
Published in
Blues - CD Reviews
Document Records has brought together a remarkable collection of blues songs performed by Muddy Waters, which includes the Library of Congress Recordings of 1941 - 1942, an…
Much of today's popular music is a direct descendent from the blues music that developed in the late nineteenth century. The blues artists of the 20's and 30's used everyda…
09 Jun
The Best of The Memphis Jug Band by Memphis Jug Band
Saturday, 09 June 2001
Published in
Blues - CD Reviews
The term "fusion" has come to be accepted as meaning a mix/combination of jazz with elements of rock, R&B/funk and/or pop. But fusion has been around for a long time, but n…
05 Jun
Jazz Casual Jimmy Weatherspoon/Jimmy Rushing by Jimmy Weatherspoon / Jimmy Rushing
Tuesday, 05 June 2001
Published in
Blues - CD Reviews
In the 1960s, San Francisco’s KQED produced an innovative thirty-minute jazz program hosted by local music critic, Ralph J. Gleason. The "Jazz Casual" shows featured a vari…
One never knows what to expect from Kay Kay Greenwade and her band. Her last CD, Lucky 7 featured guest Abner Burnett. This time she has gathered guitarists Johnny R…
01 Jun
The Very Best of Little Willie John by Little Willie John
Friday, 01 June 2001
Published in
Blues - CD Reviews
The late Little Willie John (1937-68) was one of the pivotal figures in blues, R&B/soul and rock & roll - his 50s recordings are an vital part of the linkage to/transition …
23 May
Fourmost Return-Recorded Live At Fat Tuesday’s, NYC by Jimmy Smith
Wednesday, 23 May 2001
Published in
Blues - CD Reviews
Since 1956 the Hammond B3 organ has changed the way jazz music has been played, perceived, and composed, thanks to the legendary pioneer Jimmy Smith. He is the crowned king…
Although pigeonholed as a bluesman, Jerry Portnoy shows tremendous versatility on this CD. The master harp player blurs the line between blues and jazz by including …
Greg Piccolo may hail from Rhode Island but he is definitely a Texas tenor. The word "homage" may suggest an atmosphere of quiet reverence but that's not what you will find…
Terry Evans appears here on his 5th solo CD. The Delta bluesman is steeped in the blues and gospel traditions of his native Mississippi. Speaking of this new recording, Eva…
Odetta has been thrilling audiences in venues from church halls to Carnegie Hall for five decades. In 1969, the pop music writer Lilian Roxon wrote of Odetta " a voice so…
25 Apr
Rattlebag by Paul Reddick & The Sidemen
Wednesday, 25 April 2001
Published in
Blues - CD Reviews
Things change rapidly on the blues scene. Since the days of Charlie Patton, every generation of blues artists has added their special contribution to the art form. This new…
11 Apr
Breakfast At Midnight by Rita Chiarelli
Wednesday, 11 April 2001
Published in
Blues - CD Reviews
Oh! There's good blues tonight. Rita Chiarelli, Canada's princess of the blues, has just released her first album in four long years. Her fans are elated with this new issu…
Archie Edwards (1918 - 1998) was a legendary East Coast performer who lived in Washington, DC. Born in Virginia, Edwards was playing guitar at age seven and was heavily inf…
Dot Com Blues is a stone-cold soul picnic. From the first note of this cozy little CD, Jimmy Smith is deftly twiddling the keys with a purpose and making you smile. Mercy! …
Looking for something different? With Lee Roy Parnell's TELL THE TRUTH you have come to the right place. Lee Roy Parnell is a gifted vocalist and guitarist who has the abil…
25 Mar
The Best Things in Life Are Still Made By Hand by Wabi Down Home Blues Project Band
Sunday, 25 March 2001
Published in
Blues - CD Reviews
Seiji "Wabi" Yuguchi has a talent many listeners may not associate him with. Yuguchi, born in Japan, is a blues harmonica player. He became interested in blues music at …
This is a debut CD for bluesman Harry Manx. Born on the Isle of Man, home of the Manx cat and host of world-renowned motorcycle racing, Harry spent much of his life in Japa…
27 Feb
Screamin And Hollerin The Blues by Charley Patton
Tuesday, 27 February 2001
Published in
Blues - CD Reviews
When folks talks about the founding fathers (but do they ever mention the founding mothers?) of the Blues, the name most often mentioned is Robert Johnson and Son House, ma…
The Detroit born bluesman was the co-founder and still leads The Fabulous Thunderbirds. The band has been active for about 25 years and is solidly booked for 2001. Kim Wils…
19 Feb
Chitlin Circuit Soul by Bobby Bland Clarence Carter Betty Wright Shirley Brow
Monday, 19 February 2001
Published in
Blues - CD Reviews
CHITLIN CIRCUIT SOUL is a unique collection of contemporary blues jazz, and it is something to enjoy. I have listened to it five times prior to reviewing it, and I would su…
Who is this Sleepy LaBeef? Many music-heads would categorize the man as a ``rockabilly`` performer, but that is akin to saying that Paul Newman is some actor and Nat Cole u…
The new Robben Ford Anthology is a two CD set representing the guitarist's early years. The tracks are gleaned from Ford's 1972 and 1976 releases titled "Sunrise", "Discove…
06 Feb
Well, Well, Well! by R. L. Burnside
Tuesday, 06 February 2001
Published in
Blues - CD Reviews
Mississippi bluesman R.L. Burnside didn’t pick up a guitar until the mid 1950s at about 30 years of age. Fortunately, R.L’s neighbor was none other than the late Mississipp…
29 Jan
Blues Is In The House by Johnny Jones
Monday, 29 January 2001
Published in
Blues - CD Reviews
Johnny Jones is a Nashville blues icon. Born there in 1936, Jones moved to Chicago in the early 1950s with his mother. In the Windy City, he was exposed to the fiery talent…