Editorial Review

The incomparable Maria Muldaur has always traversed a wide expanse of American music--in 2003, she recorded Read more

Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Adult Contemporary    3. American Popular Song    4. Blues    5. Pop    6. Vocal Jazz    7. Vocal Pop   

Editorial Review

"I can't even crack a frown since the blues slipped out of town," sings Keb' Mo' on "Prosperity Blues," with a patented big wide grin you can practically hear. It's a witty and accurate assessment of his approach to the often lowdown genre. Even on the album's title track, where Mo's tough National steel slide playing is most prominent, he's concerned with the daunting amount of coffee choices at his local java emporium. Call it the middle-class blues then, as Mo' wraps his grits-and-honey voice around another set of gently rolling, melodic, and warm compositions. Similar to, say, James Taylor, he spins beautifully crafted, meticulously produced, uncluttered roots-influenced music that is no less satisfying because of its smooth qualities. Traces of gospel, folk, and even bluegrass sprinkle these pop-oriented tunes, and while most of the edges here are sanded off--nobody will mistake him for Howlin' Wolf--Mo's cushy voice and charm create another winning entry in his catalog. Sophisticated and burnished, Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Contemporary Blues    3. Modern Acoustic Blues    4. Modern Electric Blues    5. Pop   

Editorial Review

Ray Charles is the Genius of Soul, but he's always had a bit of country boy in him, too. Between playing hillbilly piano when he was a kid and landing several duets on the country charts in the '80s, Charles released this 1962 classic, taking 12 country standards and proving that great songs can remain great, no matter what the setting.Behind blaring brass and thrilling strings, Brother Ray transforms "Hey, Good Lookin'" and "Bye Bye Love" into big-band swing; "You Win Again" into the Nashville Sound; and "I Love You So Much It Hurts" into the most elegant of pop."I Can't Stop Loving You" was the big hit, but everything else here is just as timeless and beautiful. Read more

Features

• Original recording reissued
• Original recording remastered

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Country-Soul    3. Pop    4. Popular Music    5. R&B    6. Soul    7. United States of America   

Editorial Review

Slim Harpo, Dr. John the Night Tripper, Tony Joe White … one can't help but flash on those illustrious practitioners of swamp music, be it blues, rock, or pop, when listening to CC Adcock's latest effort. As with all of the above, Layayette, Louisiana's Adcock makes music that's dense, damp, and malodorous as a Baton Rouge bog. What's so welcome about Read more

Subjects:  1. Modern Electric Blues    2. Pop    3. Rock    4. Rock/Pop    5. Swamp Blues    6. Traditional Cajun    7. Zydeco   

Editorial Review

Those who know Jack Johnson only as college radio fave are in for a pleasant surprise here, as are wave-riding aficionados with a taste for eclectic, cooled-out musical vibes. The project Read more

Features

• Soundtrack

Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Bass    3. Drums    4. Drums (Steel)    5. Guitar (Acoustic)    6. Guitar (Electric)    7. Percussion    8. Piano    9. Pop    10. Singer/Songwriter    11. Slide Guitar    12. Soundtrack    13. Soundtracks & Film Scores    14. Vocals   

Editorial Review

Jonny Lang cut his debut album in Memphis when he was just 15, and, upon its release in 1996, the guitar prodigy from Minneapolis instantly became one of the leading lights of modern blues. He's a fast and flashy player whose approach rests equally on technical assurance and musical intelligence. Sizing up a dozen songs, he gets a pleasing, razor-sharp sound out of his ax while building excitement in his lead lines--thankfully, he steers clear of cliché and bombast. As a fledging singer, he acts out the lyrics of Ike Turner's age-old shuffle "Matchbox" and his own romantic ballad "Missing Your Love" with surprising poise and believability. Kudos to producer David Z for surrounding Lang with alert, first-rate sidemen and for helping select good material from Turner, Sonny Boy Williamson, Tinsley Ellis, and others. Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Music    3. Blues-Rock    4. Contemporary Blues    5. Modern Electric Blues    6. Pop    7. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

Inspired by the lovable Read more

Features

• Original recording remastered
• Soundtrack

Subjects:  1. Pop    2. R&B    3. Retro-Soul    4. Soul    5. Soundtrack    6. Soundtracks & Film Scores   

Editorial Review

After the disorganized and often unlistenable Alan Douglas-produced reissues in the '70s and '80s, MCA has been releasing the vast Hendrix archives in an intelligent and methodical manner. Read more

Subjects:  1. Acid Rock    2. Album Rock    3. Blues-Rock    4. Hard Rock    5. Pop    6. Psychedelic    7. Psychedelic Soul    8. Rock    9. Rock & Roll    10. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

It sounds like the beginning of a story: "So, Slowhand and the King of the Blues were riding in a car ..." If this is a musical journey, it's the kind that rolls down long, empty stretches of country highway at 80 miles an hour, with the top down and the stereo blasting. Clapton and King may be more city than country, but this collection has the relaxed, laid-back feel that only comes from a pair of veterans doing what they do best. What they do here is cover 12 classic blues songs, many of them staples of King's repertoire, so the title of this album makes sense. Whether it's the rollicking rock & roll of the title track, or the acoustic shuffle of "Key to the Highway," or the sweet notes of "When My Heart Beats Like a Hammer," a real sense of pleasure comes through on this album, the kind of pleasure one gets from jamming late at night with a good friend. Read more

Features

• Enhanced

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Music    3. Blues-Rock    4. Modern Electric Blues    5. Pop    6. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

With a series of terrific albums, Cassandra Wilson has established herself as one of the day's great vocalists and, in branching out from jazz into blues and folk and pop, paved the way for genre-crossing stars including Norah Jones. But the Mississippi native has rarely sounded as relaxed or winning as she does on "Thunderbird," which teams her with the stalwart Read more

Subjects:  1. Ballads    2. Contemporary Jazz    3. Electric Blues    4. Jazz    5. Modern Delta Blues    6. Modern Electric Blues    7. Modern Electric Chicago Blues    8. Pop    9. Soul-Blues    10. United States of America    11. Urban    12. Vocal Jazz   

Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Blues-Rock    3. Contemporary Blues    4. Electric Texas Blues    5. Modern Electric Blues    6. Modern Electric Texas Blues    7. Pop    8. Popular Music    9. Rock    10. Rock/Pop    11. Texas Blues   

Editorial Review

Hard as it is to go wrong when shopping for a Brother Ray package, some career-spanning compilations bundle the decades better than others. Count this one, true to its title, among the very best. The track sequencing is straight-up chronological, opening with 1954's groundbreaking blues and gospel mingling "I've Got a Woman." From there it charges through the late-'50s Atlantic era, rounding up classic singles like "Hallelujah (I Love Her So),""(Night Time Is) The Right Time," and "What'd I Say." By the time the disc lands us in the '60s, the Genius has saddled up to explore his country side, turning in such popular-music-altering hits as "Georgia on My Mind" and "I Can't Stop Loving You." A final cut jumps into the '80s for the Willie Nelson duet "Seven Spanish Angels," leaving the listener with a solid--and deeply satisfying--sense of Charles' bold artistic wanderings. All that's missing is his soul-dunked rendition of "America the Beautiful." Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Country-Soul    3. Jazz Blues    4. Piano Blues    5. Pop    6. Pop-Soul    7. R&B    8. Soul    9. Soul/Reggae/Rhythm & Blues    10. Urban Blues   

Editorial Review

Guest-star projects can be such tiresome affairs. Too often, the high-profile "friend" is nothing more than the record label's idea of someone they can feature on the front cover to generate additional sales. Additionally, these performances are frequently overdubbed, so the artist and the guest never actually come in contact with each other. Thankfully, neither is the case on Walter Trout's first studio album of new material since 2001's Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Modern Electric Blues    3. Pop    4. United States of America   

Editorial Review

Modern folk and blues rarely sounds as inventive and colorful as the Wood Brothers' spare, soothing studio debut. Currents of jazz, pop, and country also ripple through these 12 lovely arrangements built around Chris Wood's upright bass (previously heard in Medeski, Martin & Wood) and Oliver Wood's gentle acoustic and electric guitars. It's not simply that the brothers' sweet, high voices have the genetic gift of close harmony: they're in absolute synch creatively, too. So when one's singing lingers over a lazy phrase in a number like the languid ode to living "Chocolate on My Tongue," the other hangs back on his instrument until just the right, complementary moment. Drummer Kenny Wollesen, who plays on a handful of tracks, is on the same wavelength--never rushing or pushing the Woods' behind-the-beat sensibility. And the rich dark tones of the bass and, in particular, slide guitars perfectly illuminate their unhurried stories about spiritual discovery and the trials of life. All of which makes Read more

Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Alternative Folk    3. Americana    4. Contemporary Folk    5. Pop    6. Rock    7. Rock/Pop    8. Traditional Bluegrass   

Editorial Review

The sweet, husky mix of sugar and sandpaper in two-time Grammy nominee Susan Tedeschi's voice breathes sultry life into the art of classic soul singing on Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Contemporary Blues    3. Modern Electric Blues    4. Pop    5. United States of America   

Editorial Review

Read more

Subjects:  1. Africa    2. African Folk    3. Int'l & World Music    4. Mali    5. Pop    6. Rock/Pop    7. World Fusion    8. World Music   

Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Blues    3. Country Blues    4. Folk-Blues    5. Piedmont Blues    6. Pop   

Features

• Original recording remastered

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Music    3. Blues-Rock    4. British Blues    5. Modern Electric Blues    6. Pop    7. Rock/Pop   

Subjects:  1. New Orleans R&B    2. Oldies    3. Piano Blues    4. Pop    5. R&B    6. Rock    7. Rock & Roll    8. Soul/Reggae/Rhythm & Blues    9. United States of America   

Editorial Review

Every few years, an acoustic guitar player decides he wants to be the next Robert Johnson and endears himself to the blues world--Rory Block, John Hammond Jr., and Taj Mahal have crossed this road in the past. Veteran backup guitarist Kevin "Keb' Mo'" Moore has the freshest approach to pulling it off, turning Johnson's devil-obsessed classics "Come on in My Kitchen" and "Kindhearted Woman Blues" into friendly folk music on this 1994 debut. Unlike many of the great bluesmen, the personable Moore doesn't aspire to be evil or even rebellious; he writes terrific songs (most notably the opening "Every Morning" and "Dirty Low Down and Bad") and performs them with talent and charisma. Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Music    3. Contemporary Blues    4. Modern Acoustic Blues    5. Pop