Modern Blues Albums
From the fifties onwards, the Blues was an urban music played on electric instruments in a band setting, but many performers still payed homage to their roots in country blues.
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It’s hard to imagine what the blues would be without collaborations between giants of the genre. When two great voices combine to form one, the results can be delightful. And Riding with the King is no exception. Released in 2000, the Eric Clapton/B.B. King collection of duets has all the charm you’d expect from two masters of the form.
Guy Davis really gets into his stride on this album. With delicate arrangements of mandolin, organ and accordion, the result sounds full but not over-produced and superb rocking Blues like 'Waiting for the Cards to Fall' show Guy can write a song too.
This 36 track double CD starts with Taj Mahal's early Blues and covers some Hawaiin and Latin material. Only his children's albums and his most recent works are not here.
Little Milton was at Chess for nearly ten years and you can hear the progression towards him becoming a soul singer.
Most of these songs are Magic Slim's own compositions and he absolutely nails every one.
Brewer Phillips did not make his name as a bandleader, but he could have given it a good shot. This collection has him and Ted Harvey, joined by some friends, giving up some rawboned Blues that comes from the heart.
What this record lacks in production values, it makes up for in enthusiasm. Lefty Dizz writes some good songs too!
Both of Paul 'Wine' Jones's albums are full of hard driving, raw Blues that makes no compromise with commercialism.
Playing acoustic and electric guitars, and showing some style with his bottleneck, James 'Son' Thomas gives up some old-school Delta Blues..
Chris Thomas King includes a few of his own compositions with covers of some classic Delta numbers. The duets with his Dad are a highlight, and Chris's guitar work is superb.
Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite combine like a single mind to provide some wonderful Blues. With a small band, Ben's slide-guitar and Charlie's harp produce a thing of beauty.
Little Jimmy King's debut album gives him the opportunity to show his chops, with some smokin' guitar and a soulful voice.
Sugar Blue is on top form, with some immaculate phrasing in his solos.
The Boss Talkers back Joe Louis Walker to the hilt and a horn section makes this some hard edged Soul/Blues.
Jonny Lang demonstrates a range of styles here, from Memphis Soul to straight Blues, and shows an authentic voice that speaks of experience beyond his tender years
This album made a big impression when it was released in 2003, and it has been re-issued on Sonny Landreth's own label.
'Jitterbug Swing' and 'Sweet Pea' show off Catfish Keith's voice and have some great songs but, for me, his playing on tracks like 'Dark was the Night' make this album a must.
There are 12 original Gary Clark Jr. compositions here, joined by a medley track of 'If You Love Me Like You Say' by Albert Collins and the Hendrix number '3rd Stone from the Sun'.
These 14 tracks from the quirky Delta Bluesman are a great introduction to the work of Super Chikan.
This is quite a diverse collection, with African and Middle-Eastern flavours, plus pure Blues like Crow Jane and Chevrolet all given the distinctive Derek Trucks treatment.
Washboard Willie shows his vocal chops, and some finger-wizardry, on this collection of his singles and a few classics as a bonus.
Nick Gravenites sings and plays keyboards, with some of Mike Bloomfield's best guitar work, on ten of Nick's own songs and an Otis Rush classic.
A hot backing band and crisp production allows a lot of space for these four guys to fill, and the results won them a Grammy. Billy Branch is joined by Junior Wells, Carey Bell and James Cotton.
Mickey Baker was an underated guitarist, whose work back in the 50s as a session player and a solo instrumentalist was highly influential.
There is some superb Blues guitar on this album and Fenton Robinson wrote most of the material too, with his version of 'Texas Flood' an exception.
This Rod Piazza album contains thirteen tracks of modern Blues that take the best Chicago traditions and re-invigorate them with West-coast energy.
