Editorial Review

When you're an early success in jazz, the temptation is to hunker down in the style that's earned you acclaim. Pianist Jason Moran will have none of that. While thriving on the edgy interaction of his terrific working trio, Bandwagon, featuring bassist Tarus Mateen and drummer Nasheet Waits, he keeps reaching for new modes of expression, drawing upon sources as varied as Italian film themes, Turkish language rhythms and hip-hop. This time, he cuts loose behind smartly sampled commentary by conceptual artist Adrian Piper and waxes lyrical on a ballad featuring the operatic voice of his wife Alicia Hall Moran. Taken from works commissioned by institutions including the Walker Arts Center and Jazz at Lincoln Center, Read more

Reviews (3)

Tremendous masterwork
"Breakdown misunderstanding, breakdown the artist", a looped refrain from African American philosopher/artist Adrian Piper, is the opening to jazz pianist Jason Moran's new album Artist in Residence. Piper's metaphor is a theme throughout Moran's seventh work for Blue Note Records.
Staggeringly, mind-bogglingly brilliant
A few random observations, because I'm so blown away by this disc that I'm not sure I can write anything coherent.
Great CD
Despite mixed reviews in publications, this album is absolutely mesmerising.There is something for everyone in this album; whether it's the song about the culture of America (Break Down) or the inspired national anthem (Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing), every song has the kind of genius ideas that we've come to expect of Jason Moran.Also, Cradle Song is a nice touch, a tribute to his mother, who recently passed away. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Avant-Garde Jazz    2. Jazz    3. Mainstream Jazz    4. Modern Electric Blues    5. Pop    6. Post-Bop    7. Progressive Jazz   

Editorial Review

Chester Burnett's ferocious growl was a staple of Chicago's electric-blues heyday. This 20-song compilation ranges from his 1951 debut "Moanin' at Midnight" with Willie Johnson on guitar to 1964's "Killing Floor" with Buddy Guy on guitar. His scratchy, sawed-off vocal approach and his energetic harmonica grace original classics such as "How Many More Years" and "Smokestack Lightnin'." By 1960, he became, along with Muddy Waters, the foremost interpreter of Willie Dixon's songs, lending his coarse voice to legendary Dixon cuts such as "Wang Dang Doodle," "Back Door Man," "Spoonful," "The Red Rooster," and "I Ain't Superstitious." Wolf's style was based on primal raw power, and he ranks among the genre's most distinctive performers. Read more

Reviews (41)

Awesome Electric Blues
If I were to give up all of my Blues albums but one (make it two, John Lee Hooker can't be left out) I would nominate the best of Howlin' Wolf. This CD does have the best of Howlin' Wolf's songs: Spoonful, the best version of Willie Dixon's original along with Cream's, the awesome Smokestack Lightnin': you can actually hear Howlin' Wolf Howlin', Wang Dang Doodle, and all the amazing Blues you could ever want, all packaged up in one neat package for that awesome price - I wouldn't miss it for anything.

A good collection but not necessarily "his best"
This is a fine collection and I'm glad to own this. However, I think material gives too much weight for Dixon's stuff and some Wolf's own essential pieces are missing.
My favorite bluesman by far
I've always loved deep, gruff male singing voices.If there's one thing I cannot stand, it's an effeminite-sounding male singer.That's why Roger Daltry is my favorite Rock 'n' Roll singer.Come to think of it, I even like my female singers gruff -- a la Janis Joplin and (sometimes) Fiona Apple.If you also like raw and rough singing, and you are looking at Howlin' Wolf's stuff, you've hit the jackpot.He's just amazing.Captain Beefheart is the only voice I've ever heard that matches Howlin' Wolf.No wonder Beefheart used to cover "Evil" in concert - he was pretty much the only person who could!I like a lot of other bluesmen like Elmore James and Otis Rush, but this guy is just as good as the genre gets.He's certainly the most distinctive bluesman, to the point that he appeals to many people who otherwise could not care less about the Blues.Get this CD! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Music    3. Blues Traditional    4. Chicago Blues    5. Electric Blues    6. Electric Chicago Blues    7. Pop   

Editorial Review

Other post-WWII Chicago bluesmen are better known, but the work of Elmore James holds up as well as any of theirs. If he never had the technical accomplishment of, say, Earl Hooker, he did have as much depth of emotional expression as Muddy Waters; just listen to the sweetness of "I Need You" or the pain of "It Hurts Me, Too." Read more

Reviews (22)

One of the Greatest
Outside of those really knowledgable about blues and some of the classic rockers, Elmore James seems to not be extremely well-known; he's hardly a household name... but HE SHOULD BE! Elmore's slide playing is among the best and most influential ever, but, as another reviewer noted, he is a VERY good, expressive, and passionate singer. Elmore poured every ounce of his soul into every note he played and every note he sang and his passion translates well onto record; as evidenced by this fabulous collection. It is a real tragedy that he passed away so young, as he was truly one of the most talented musicians to ever walk this earth. I'll bet the sky was crying the day that ole Elmore died, if I would've been alive, I probably would have cried too.

New at Blues
I haven't heard Elmore before until just now on a cd I bought, and this preview. (Well, I did hear Sky is Crying covers but never the real thing.) I have Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, John Lee Hooker, BB King, and a blues compilation cd with Rollin' and Tumblin. This guy is slick. I must get this tomorrow; I would right now but the store is closed. I can't wait for shipping either. Since last weekI've become addicted to the blues.

Historic James Recordings a Master's Class In The Blues
The incomparable Elmore James still reigns as the master of the slide guitar, influences scores of musicians from Eric Clapton and Bonnie Raitt to beyond.
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Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Music    3. Blues Traditional    4. Chicago Blues    5. Electric Blues    6. Electric Chicago Blues    7. Guitar    8. Pop    9. Slide Guitar Blues    10. United States of America   

Editorial Review

A million or so collections, all from different record labels, document this Detroit blues guitarist's influential boogie-woogie career. This 16-song Rhino CD is an excellent starting point, with definitive versions of Hooker's classics "Boom Boom," "Boogie Chillen'," "I'm in the Mood," and "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer." It's interesting to hear the singer's voice progress from a deep, growling slur to the more polished later material, such as his collaboration with slide guitarist Roy Rogers on Robert Johnson's "Terraplane Blues," but he never lost his bottom-line rawness. Read more

Reviews (19)

Boogie King
John Lee Hooker, "king of the boogie," is one of the most influential guitarists to ever record. He is also one of the most unique, as his rhythmic and dynamic senses are more free than what one may be accustomed to... he also changes chords rarely, if ever, in some songs. Now i myself have complained about 3 chord bands... this is different, this man hypnotizes you with his awesome, entrancing riffs and licks. This collection is probably the finest one disc compilation of this master's work and belongs in any music lover's collection. If you think that all blue sounds the same and all is 12 bars etc etc (any blues aficionado knows much better than to pay any heed to these ridiculously ill-informed stereotypes), John Lee Hooker is a good place to see that the blues is one of the forms most open for free expression and experimentation.

A Legendary and Prolific Bluesman!
Some of John Lee Hooker's best known songs are compiled from his many years and albums onto this budget CD, with not one being one you will skip over.From "Boogie Chillen'" to "Boom, Boom,"they are all here.Even the songs which made others famous, such as "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer."
one cd, one artist, one to have!
Every serious blues collection needs something from John Lee Hooker, and this cd is a great place to start. It is a great variety of all his early classics, and the sound quality is very good as well. From Dimples to Boom Boom to Boogie Chillen to One Scotch... they are all here. You cant go wrong with this one. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Blues    3. Blues Music    4. Blues Revival    5. Blues Traditional    6. Country Blues    7. Delta Blues    8. Detroit Blues    9. Electric Blues    10. Electric Delta Blues    11. Juke Joint Blues    12. Pop    13. United States of America   

Editorial Review

New York guitar phenom walks tall in the blues tradition with this third album, jettisoning fiery riffs inspired by John Lee Hooker, B.B. King, Elmore James, and Albert Collins into the future with furious playing, a hard-rock sensibility, and a grizzled voice that owes a debt to Gregg Allman. Equally inspired by the Delta blues and the mid-'60s British blues boom, the young firebrand--who titled this CD after a Rod Stewart song penned while in the Jeff Beck Group--is able to fuse those two schools together, creating edgy blues rock. Read more

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

Editorial Review

"Yeah, it’s been a long time coming, never thought it’d take so long," moans Jonny Lang on the seemingly autobiographical title track to his first release in five years. But its stark acoustic, near demo quality is in contrast to the preceding 12 songs, which are buffed to an arena-rock sheen. The youngster has shifted from an up-and-coming bluesman into a tough, journeyman melodic rocker with a dab of R&B. He has also honed his songwriting skills, resulting in the majority of this album (except a rugged bonus live cover of Stevie Wonder’s "Livin’ for the City" and the first single "Red Light") being self-penned. Aiming for the back rows, Read more

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

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

Editorial Review

The full-tilt blues album that Clapton had been promising for years, Read more

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

Editorial Review

One would think that jumping into the pop-rock marketplace after being branded a blues player might confuse a 17-year-old guitar whiz. No way. Jonny Lang, with the lucid advice of ace producer David Z, understands the role of the blues as solid ground for someone who wants to take flight with intelligent, well-crafted music that has a wide audience. His second album's strengths lie with his gruffly appealing singing voice and his lean, razor-edged guitar phrases. The material is solid, with songs that range stylistically from the ingratiating funk number "I Am" (a hitherto unrecorded David Z and Prince composition), to the it-sure-sounds-like-a-rock-hit "Still Rainin'" (complete with thunderous chords and soulful female backup singers), to a griddle-hot take on the late Chicago blues guitarist Luther Allison's "Cherry Red Wine." All 12 songs are of a piece, tied together by Lang's unassailable musical integrity and his freshness of vision. And R&B master guitarist Steve Cropper is on hand in the Minneapolis recording studio to insure the soulful vibe. Read more

Reviews (170)

Top 5 album in the last decade
Simply put, this is one of the best blues albums made in the last 10 years....If you rated this anything lower than a 5 star album, put the Madonna back in your player because you obviously do not like blues...This ranks up there with KWS debut album, Ledbetter Heights, anything by Bonamassa (who i love).Put this one back in and listen to it again.There are at least 5 outstanding songs....PERIOD.

Wander this world
An early Jonny Lang CD.A little harsh but still a great CD

Refined Raw Emotion
After buying his previous cassette (Lie To Me), I had to have another Jonny Lang. This happened several years ago, but I have recently upgraded my music to CDs and this CD was a MUST HAVE. I found his voice had mellowed just a bit since Lie To Me, but the raw emotion seemed even more intense. If you love blues, this album will satisfy. ... Read more

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

Editorial Review

The Chicago blues legend's recent divorce is weighing on his mind, if "Somebody's Been Sleeping in My Bed" and "Now You're Gone" are to be believed. That's bad for Buddy Guy, but good for his fans, who, on these contemplative, regretful numbers, get treated to some of Guy's most sweetly improvisational and melodic guitar since his '60s hallmark Read more

Reviews (41)

Mr. Entertainment
Everyone knows how grat a guitarist Buddy Guy is. This CD shows how great is vocally, as well. It doesn't get any better

It's a Six
I have been listening to Buddy Guy for 35 years.He is the best blues guitar player there is.The first ten times I listened to this album I didn't get it. Buddy Guy doing "Lay Lady Lay"?Now after three months I love this album.
Buddy Brings "Em In Big Time!
After hearing "Dreams to Remember" I had to buy this CD. Sure, we all know how great Buddy's playing is; heck--he's been at it for years. But now that he has reached a riper age I feel he's doing what he wants to do and bringing in songs that influenced and moved him early on. The CD plays well from start to finish and restarts just as evenly, so you can let it play over and over again without ever growing tired. To the blues purists I say, let go if it (even Robert Johnson was playing to the popular audience if you beleive Elijah Wald's theory as I do). If there is one flaw in this CD is it the rote version of "Ain't No Sunshine" where Tracy Chapman sounds as if she never even entered the same recording studio as Mr. Guy--but then I found her duet with B.B. King equally lacking: she should stick with her fast cars songwriting skills. In a society that worships name recognition, who are we to blame the music industry for peppering CDs with these types of pairings anyway? We are what we buy, so "Buy This!!!!" ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues-Rock    3. Chicago Blues    4. Electric Blues    5. Electric Chicago Blues    6. Modern Electric Chicago Blues    7. Pop    8. United States of America   

Editorial Review

Like a rootsier Jimmy Buffett, Delbert McClinton is an established, hard-touring veteran whose audience doesn't expect from him too much out of the norm. Regardless, the Texan's quintessential mix of country, R&B, Tex-Mex, blues, honky-tonk, New Orleans bump, lounge jazz, and good-time rock and roll is durable enough to sustain a career, especially since nobody does it nearly as well as he does. In the spirit of "don't fix what isn't broken," this album of 13 McClinton originals preserves the established formula. But to his credit, the leathery-voiced singer, now in his mid-60s, never seems to be going through the motions. He delivers this good-natured Americana with gutsy enthusiasm and enough raw energy to power the ocean liner on one of his famous blues cruises. Just as comfortable tearing into the Stonesy rock of "Dead Wrong" as the soft, Spanish guitar-driven folk of "Down into Mexico"--a tale of a robbery/relationship gone bad that flawlessly mixes his tender and tough sides--McClinton revels in his element. Fiddles, sax, and pedal steel augment the arrangements, highlighting the country and blues at the heart of Read more

Reviews (22)

His best album in years
I've been a Delbert fan for more than 20 years, and this is his best release in a long time. There is no voice like Delbert's; man, can he sing. From the raucous "Hammerhead Stew" to some welcome country songs like "Midnight Communion" and "Two Step Too" this CD rocks. As for those reviewers who dislike the country element here, they aren't true Delbert fans, since real aficiandos know that some of Delbert's early works were
cost of living
I can find nothing bad about this cd. It's like Springsteen lyrics, guitar strains of Marty Robbins and maybe a little touch of John Fogerty. I can recall sitting in a bar thirty years ago with some of my military buds and listening to this kind of music, wishing we were someplace else. What memories this cd evolked! All in all I can say that Delbert McClinton is becoming part of my blues collection and will continue to add more.

lone star star
Texas music is more than music from Texas. It's an alchemy of apparently disparate essences - blues, soul, rock'n'roll - and Delbert McClinton is a master chemist. Like his fellow Lone Star Staters Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown and Doug Sahm, McClinton's defiance of definition may have denied him a wider audience, but those who know him can consider themselves, to quote one of his songs, "one of the fortunate few". McClinton wrote most of the 13 songs here and anything he doesn't write he makes his own (I'll Change My Style, associated with Jimmy Reed, becomes wonderfully greasy swamp R&B). For tragic, noirish adventure with a femme fatale, try Down into Mexico ("Sherrie was a dancer / she was a schemer / we came up with a foolproof plan"). Those who have lost love will share the ache of Kiss Her Once For Me ("and there's a part of her life I won't be there to see / when you're holding her tonight, kiss her once for me"). McClinton just turned 65 and shows no sign of decline. Start here and work back to such gems as Genuine Cowhide (1976) and The Jealous Kind (1980).(This review appeared in The Age newspaper in Melbourne, Australia.) ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Americana    2. Blues-Rock    3. Country-Rock    4. Modern Electric Blues    5. Pop    6. Progressive Country    7. R&B    8. Rock    9. Rock & Roll    10. Rock/Pop    11. Roots Rock    12. Soul-Blues    13. Southern Soul    14. United States of America   

Editorial Review

It's impossible to overemphasize the importance of singer-guitarist-songwriter Robert Johnson's contribution to blues music. The same can be said of Eric Clapton, one of Mr. Johnson's most dedicated interpreters. From his work with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers to Cream and beyond, Clapton has arguably attracted more widespread attention to Johnson's music than any other living musician. A decade after his all-blues Read more

Reviews (249)

Virtuoso Guitar Playing, Complex Musical Structures!
Here we go again....another tortured collection of three chord, twelve barre Delta Blues. In truth, these songs were redundant and whiny when the very limited Robert Johnson first recorded them; now hearing Clapton ressurect them is just plain annoying. How many times can we hear "I woke up this morning, baby; My cow just up and died.....da dum, da dum, da dum.....I woke up this morning, baby. My cow just up and died. Da dum, da dum, da dum.... So I drank a bottle of hooch and I began to cry....da dum, da dum, da dum...." Come on, people! If this is genius songwriting and guitar playing then we should all simply throw in the towel on civilization. When Eric Clapton plays Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, and Rogers and Hart on his guitar---unaccompanied----chords, melody and bass line----like Django Reinhardt, Wes Montgomery, and Joe Pass----then maybe I'll consider him a great guitarist. Today's youth are clueless about almost everything, and guitar virtuosity is no exception. I don't believe Clapton has ever heard of key modulation, arpeggios, or chord substitutions. In truth, he is an average rock guitarist, and considering the primative structure of rock and roll guitar playing, that's not saying much. For anyone to call him a great guitarist, let alone the greatest guitarist whoever lived, is indicative of either juvenile delinquency or just plain stupidity. It's like saying Madonna is the greatest singer of all time. Odds are those who make such vacuous, ludicrous statements are the children or grandchildren of the druggie Woodstock generation who wouldn't know a great guitarist if he/she tripped over him (which would be likely since they were all drugged out of their minds most of the time). I know we're living in the age of grand mediocrity, but enough is enough. Go buy a Wes Montgomery, Django Reinhardt or Barney Kessel album and listen to sophisticated, nuanced, and soulful guitar viruosity. If you have half a brain, you'll throw away your collection of rock guitar icons and beg foregiveness for being such an uneducated, unsophisticated nitwit who once claimed that one-dimensional druggies like Clapton and Hendrix were great guitarists. If after listening to these truly talented guitarists who actually play more than three chords you still hold to your position that Clapton is a great guitarist, here's what you do: pick up your Fender Strat, turn the amp volume up to 10, smoke a joint, and go stick your head between your distortion chambers and fuzz boxes and make a lot of noise and pretend you too are a great guitarist. Eric Clapton is a great guitarist! What a dumb society we have wrought since the late 1960s.

Clapton returns what he does best
Clapton returns what he does best (lately anyway).A less reverent, more relaxed and enjoyable blues set than the prior From the Cradle, the sense of joy and love of this music shines through.
Hate to admit it
Hate to admit it but this just isn't very good.Been a fan since 'Slowhand' so i've been frequently disappointed and underwhelmed by Clapton, but this is just amazing.This has everything going for it but it just doesn't come together.The featured review by 'Woomer' mirrors my feelings that nothing since 'From the Cradle' has been worthwhile barring 'Riding with the King' and that was helped immensely by King himself.
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Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Blues-Rock    3. British Blues    4. Contemporary Blues    5. Modern Electric Blues    6. Pop    7. Rock    8. Rock/Pop   

Editorial Review

Just as Muhammad Ali once boasted that he could "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee," Louisiana's Sonny Landreth can make his slide guitar roar like a rocket ship and dance like a ballerina. As this live set recorded on his home turf attests, few guitarists combine such power with such precision. Landreth’s veteran rhythm section of bassist David Ranson and drummer Kenneth Blevins provides whipcrack support on a set of supercharged instrumentals ("Native Stepson," "Z. Rider," "Pedal to Metal") and original blues ("Broken-Hearted Road," "Wind in Denver"), building to a climax with the guitarist’s signature tune, "Congo Square." Though Landreth established himself as an ace sideman from his apprenticeship with zydeco kingpin Clifton Chenier through his extended stint with John Hiatt, he really cuts loose with his own trio, generating a dynamic propulsion that threatens to levitate this Lafayette dancehall. Read more

Features

• Live

Reviews (38)

Simply phenominal
I had the tremendous pleasure of hearing Sonny live and was immediately drawn into the experience. Talented is too small a word to describe this group.GRANT STREET is just about the best compilation of tunes I've heard...ripping,magical and just thoroughly great!You will not be disappointed. A must for every ones collection.I listen to the whole disc and am always ready to go at it again.

As HOT is it gets
As much as I truly love the slide mastery of Johnny Winter, Ry Cooder, Roy Rogers, Eric Sardinas, Luther Allison and Robert Johnson, Sonny is the man.As much as each of the above masters offer their own unique style and brilliance, each worthy of multiple listenings and close study, Sonny is the man. And though it is not a competition, I dare say Sonny is, hands down, the best I've ever heard.Grant Street is as HOT as it gets, period.His searing tones, rich dynamic textures, composition and vocals (all original) are a testimony to one of the most remarkable live albums ever made.
Buy Grant Street!
One of the best things about blues or blue rock is the simplicity of it.Since there are specific and defined rules in the 12 bar blues system, we as consumers have been subjected to almost every kind imaginable.I myself, never get tired of endless blues guitar heroes like SRV, Johnny Winter, Eric Clapton, BB King, Albert King and every other professional or local artist that emulates their heroes and create blues rock.
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Subjects:  1. Contemporary Blues    2. Louisiana Blues    3. Modern Electric Blues    4. Pop    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop    7. Southern Rock    8. Swamp Blues   

Editorial Review

This legendary 1983 debut by the fallen torchbearer of the '80s-'90s blues revival sounds even more dramatic in its remixed and expanded edition. Stevie Ray Vaughan's guitar and vocals are a bit brighter and more present on this 14-track CD. And the newly included bonus numbers (an incendiary studio version of the slow blues "Tin Pan Alley" that was left off the original release, and live takes of "Testify," "Mary Had a Little Lamb," and the instrumental "Wham!" from a 1983 Hollywood concert) illuminate the raw soul and passion that propelled his artistry even when he was under the spell of drug addiction. Read more

Features

• Extra tracks
• Original recording reissued
• Original recording remastered

Reviews (84)

Modern Day Blues Classic
This is one of the finest blues albums to be produced in the past 25 years.Right off the bat from the blistering 'Testify' to the classic 'Mary Had a Little Lamb' to the closing jazz influenced 'Lenny' you know this album is going to be something special.SRV & TD are found here as a trio and you would be hard pressed to find a tighter band.This album is a little more striped down and more bluesy then SRV latter works.This and 'In Sessions' with Albert King are probably Stevie's best blues albums.

king of strat
saw hendrix,have seen clapton-stevie was the best i ever saw-saw him every tuesday night for 2 years as a member of paul ray and the cobras-tequila night at soap creek saloon as he was mastering his craft and nose diving his body-last time i saw him was new years eve at the ritz in nyc the year he would die way too early.he was then clean and as good as ever. texas flood may be his best-raw and overwhelming-anybody looking for a blues guitar master-look no further.by the way,stevie could play a little hendrix himself

Stevie Ray Vaughan = Awesome. Argue not.
Okay, Texas Flood and Pride and Joy are, plain and simple, two of the greatest blues songs ever. His solo on Texas Flood shows just what a guy with enough talent could do with the simple Blues format, as does Pride and Joy. Two amazing songs...
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Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Blues-Rock    3. Contemporary Blues    4. Electric Blues    5. Electric Texas Blues    6. Modern Electric Blues    7. Modern Electric Texas Blues    8. Pop    9. Rock    10. Rock/Pop    11. Texas Blues    12. United States of America   

Editorial Review

This 1965 album is where vocalist and harmonica player Junior Wells comes into his own. An early collaboration with Buddy Guy, the two of them sum up the 1960s funk-rock-blues that lay ahead. Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Music    3. Chicago Blues    4. Electric Chicago Blues    5. Electric Harmonica Blues    6. Harmonica Blues    7. Juke Joint Blues    8. Pop   

Editorial Review

B.B. King's music has been anthologized and put in box sets many times, but this is the first single-disc collection that truly spans the American icon's career. It starts with his breakthrough 1951 No. 1 R&B hit "Three O'Clock Blues" and ends, chronologically, with 2000's "Ten Long Years" from his platinum-selling, pop-chart-topping smash collaboration with Eric Clapton, Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Memphis Blues    3. Modern Electric Blues    4. Pop    5. R&B    6. Soul-Blues    7. United States of America   

Editorial Review

Muddy Waters should need no introduction. Not only did he provide a name for the world's greatest rock & roll band, but he also created the Chicago electric blues sound that's dominated the genre since he first hit the windy city in the late 1940s. His bands also featured what would become a who's who of electric blues: Little Walter, Jimmy Rogers, Otis Spann, James Cotton, Junior Wells, Buddy Guy, and the list goes on. Read more

Features

• Original recording remastered

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Music    3. Blues Revival    4. Blues Traditional    5. Chicago Blues    6. Delta Blues    7. Drums    8. Electric Blues    9. Electric Chicago Blues    10. Pop    11. Slide Guitar Blues    12. United States of America   

Editorial Review

It's not hard to understand the appeal of Kenny Wayne Shepherd, currently being hailed as the heir to Stevie Ray Vaughan. He's young (an increasing rarity in blues and blues-related genres), he writes catchy songs, and his "Blue on Black" is widely played on rock radio. Read more

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

Editorial Review

This guest-studded CD relaunched Buddy Guy's career and set him toward the pinnacle of contemporary blues. Despite turns from Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, and others, it's Guy who burns brightest--and loudest. He delivers roaring, exuberant performances of classic R&B ("Mustang Sally"), old-time blues ("Black Night"), and house rockers ("Where Is the Next One Coming From"). Most poignant, though, is his seven-minute instrumental "Rememberin' Stevie," which not only rekindles the fiery spirit of his own youth, but pays sensitive tribute to his late friend and admirer Stevie Ray Vaughan. This is the blueprint for Guy's current performing style. Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Chicago Blues    3. Electric Blues    4. Electric Chicago Blues    5. Modern Electric Chicago Blues    6. Pop   

Subjects:  1. Blue-Eyed Soul    2. Blues-Rock    3. Jazz Blues    4. Modern Electric Blues    5. Pop    6. Popular Music    7. Rock    8. Rock/Pop    9. Roots Rock    10. Singer/Songwriter    11. Soul    12. Uptown Soul