Editorial Review

This young Californian has apparently suffered from a case of mistaken artistic identity in his attempts to forge his own. The blazing guitar chops on this album's "Cold Black Devil/14 Miles" show why some consider him among the most promising of a new generation of bluesslingers, yet much of the material makes him sound more like a young Bob Dylan than the next Stevie Ray Vaughan. Though Dylan comparisons rarely do a developing artist any favors, it's hard to avoid them with the majestic, 10-minute build of "Supersede." Elsewhere, the horn arrangements of "So Hard to Find My Way" and "Close to You" evoke Van Morrison's California days, while the riffing of "Farewell, So Long, Goodbye" rocks like the Rolling Stones. Much of the rest is acoustic balladry that finds Greene achieving a musical intimacy that resists easy comparisons.A multi-instrumentalist featured on organ and piano as well as a variety of guitars, Greene benefits from the musical support of bassist Davey Faragher (Cracker) and drummer Pete Thomas (Elvis Costello's Attractions) and empathic production by Steve Berlin (Los Lobos). As a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, he's more than the sum of his very good influences. Read more

Subjects:  1. Americana    2. Pop    3. Rock    4. Rock/Pop    5. Roots Rock    6. Singer/Songwriter    7. United States of America   

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

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

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.
Read more

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

Though Dr. John is by no means the first musician from the rock era to take a stab at the classic American songbook, the results have rarely been as satisfying as this. While all of the material was written by, inspired by, or associated with Johnny Mercer, this is very much a Dr. John album, with Mac Rebennack and his ace New Orleans rhythm section giving selections from "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby" to "Moon River" a funky, Crescent City spin.With the good doctor applying piano syncopation to an instrumental expansion of "I'm an Old Cow Hand" and giving his sly, playful rasp to a jaunty "Dream" and a bluesy "Come Rain or Come Shine,"this tribute not only attests to the range, craftsmanship, and enduring appeal of Mercer's all-American music, it reflects the New Orleans master's interpretive depth. Read more

Reviews (6)

The DR. returns.
another great listening experience from Dr. john. This CD took a few listens to truly appreciate, but it turned out great. I think it one of his best, I actually like this album better than most of his older stuff. How about that, dr. john in his prime at the age of 65.

Smooth Groove From Start To Finish
"Mercenary" will surely go down as one of Dr. John's best efforts.The good doctor places a new spin on each of these classic Johnny Mercer tunes, making each one his own, while still staying true to Mercer.As soon as you put this disc in, there's not a bad moment!Especially good tracks are "I'm An Old Cowhand" and "Tangerine" (both instrumentals).The good doctor also adds some of his own, unique spoken (and sung) perspectives in some of the tracks (be sure to check out "Lazy Bones" to see what I'm talking about).An excellent addition to the collection of any fan of Dr. John or the fan of good music in general.Highly recommended.

Truly awesome funky music
This was playing in the theater before the movie I'd gone to see.As soon as I left the theater, I ran to the music store next door (sorry, Amazon) and bought the one remaining copy they had.Played it all the way home in my CD player and popped it into the bedside player later too.Really a fabulous album ... if you are a Dr. John fan, a must.But, great for the Mercer fan too ... I just returned from a trip to Savannah (where Mercer is buried) and this is truly music of the angels!The Angels Sing!And do some seriously good instrumentals too! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. New Orleans R&B    3. Piano Blues    4. Pop    5. Rock/Pop    6. United States of America   

Editorial Review

This two-CD box contains all 41 recordings Johnson made, including 12 alternate takes, and each cut remains a classic. This set's release in 1990 caused quite a stir, selling more than 500,000 copies, and, on the basis of endorsements from Eric Clapton and Keith Richards, introduced a great number of rock fans to Delta blues. Amazingly, Johnson built his enormous legacy on the strength of just two recording sessions: the first session, in November of 1936, produced among others "I Believe I'll Dust My Broom," "Sweet Home Chicago," "Cross Road Blues," and "Walkin' Blues," making it perhaps the most influential single session in blues history.Read more

Features

• Box set

Reviews (108)

Wonderful
While I have to agree with some people that the second takes should've been put on the second CD, I have to say that it really isn't all that difficult to skip to the next track or put your player on random. The only reason this set didn't get my full 5 stars is because the audio wasn't cleaned up. While I don't mind the old feel of the "dirty" sound, I would prefer to have it clean, just being able to hear his voice and guitar.
of course you need this.
robert johnson is simply a cornerstone of american music. buy it, breathe it in through the ears and feel america pushing up at the soles of your feet. then have a beer. you can call that a good evening, yes sir.

Robert Johnson.....the stuff of legends!
Robert Johnson is probably one of the most enigmatic figures in the history of the blues, or even perhaps in all of American music.In his youth, he was berated and even whipped by his stepfather for not getting behind a mule and working in the fields.....he knew he had a different calling. This calling was his music.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Music    3. Blues Traditional    4. Box Sets (Audio Only)    5. Country Blues    6. Delta Blues    7. Pop    8. Prewar Blues    9. Prewar Country Blues    10. Slide Guitar Blues   

Reviews (83)

Excuse Me, Mister... This Is a Great CD
This terrific project's songs are nimble, soulful, catchy, and meaningful. I've heard Harper's entire (sometimes uneven) catalog, and this is his most inspired work.

Another solid...
This is a solid record glad I picked it up.Probably the best all around of Ben Harpers.

Wow...just wow.
Ben can say so much in just one word.The tracks are mostly deep acoustic that you can jam along to. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Jam Bands    3. Pop    4. Popular Music    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop    7. Singer/Songwriter   

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

This CD is the perfect gift for someone (perhaps a new friend from Mars) who has never heard Ray Charles. With tracks such as "Georgia on my Mind," "Come Rain or Come Shine," "Without a Song," "Ruby," "Ol' Man River," and "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'," this is a feast of vintage artistry from one of America's premier performers, a man Frank Sinatra called "the only genius in the business." Featured musicians include Basie and Ellington veterans. For a one-volume presentation of popular music, this collection is hard to top. Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Bop    3. Pop    4. Popular Music    5. R&B    6. Soul   

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

Even for a relatively brief (20-song) overview of Ray Charles's '60s output during the peak of his recording stardom at ABC-Paramount, Read more

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

Editorial Review

Ben Harper makes elegant leaps from reggae to rock to folk to funk and back in his fifth studio album. The rootsy singer-songwriter with the silken tenor isn't merely genuflecting at the altar of his musical heroes, as here he shows more quirky imagination and inventive musicianship than on any of his earlier efforts. That said, "Diamonds on the Inside" is painted with the same brush that Bob Dylan used on "I Shall Be Released," but Harper adds his own Biblical aphorisms to make the song his own. Most of the songs display Harper's growth as a poet, as he ponders the dualities of life and love in tunes like the disturbing "Touch from Your Lust" and the disquietingly lyrical "Amen Omen." Harper is compelled to sing what is in his heart and to do what he can to make the world a better place. Witness the Marley-like "With My Own Two Hands." The only misstep on the whole disc is the overly humid orchestration of "When She Believes." Read more

Features

• Enhanced

Subjects:  1. Adult Alternative Pop/Rock    2. Jam Bands    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop    6. Singer/Songwriter    7. United States of America   

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   

Features

• Live

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Conjunto    3. Pop    4. Rock    5. Rock/Pop    6. Roots Rock    7. Tex-Mex    8. United States of America   

Reviews (11)

Excellent
I first heard Grayson Capps when I purchased the soundtrack to "Love Song for Bobby Long".I love the sort of blues/folk/rock sound of his songs.The quality of his voice is earthy and sexy.If I had to compare him to someone, I'd have to say he is like a male Lucinda Williams.I also like his songs that evoke the south..Louisiana in particular...brings back memories of my childhood.I would definitely recommend this CD!

Grayson is Pure Magic
He calls it "Rott-n-Roll".What it is...is pure, raw, soulful music that comes from deep inside a very complex and compelling storyteller.He's a little bit poet, a little bit thespian and a whole lot of genuine talent!I have the honor of calling him my friend, but if you never meet him, you need only to hear this album to love him!

I lucked into Stavin Chain 's CD " Wine"
in a pawnshop in Petal , Mississippi...listened to it, DAMN , who are these guys??? The song Harley -Davidson is one of the best songs ever written....Finally discovered, it was Mr Capps who was the driving force behind Stavin Chain.I LIKE this CD too, it lacks some of the rawness of the 2 SC CDs, but its really really good. He is a soul-touching songwriter, and i rarely ever listen to words in songs, being a guitar player.I'm always listening for the tasty licks and these are here too !!! BUY THEM ALL!!!!! Marty ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues-Rock    2. Pop    3. Rock    4. Rock/Pop    5. Singer/Songwriter   

Editorial Review

One of the best recordings in Chess Records' 50th Anniverary series is the first of two bookend Muddy Waters collections, Read more

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (21)

The foundation of hard rock is right here!
If it weren't for Muddy Waters, hard rock might look totally different...if it would have even come about. So many classic bands took inspiration from Muddy or covered his songs. Just look at the Rolling Stones (who took their name from one of his songs and covered "I Just Wanna Make Love to You"), the Allman Brothers ("Trouble No More"), Aerosmith (who covered two songs on their recent HONKIN' ON BOBO), Ted Nugent ("Baby Please Don't Go"), Eric Clapton ("I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man") and many others.
"I gotta ax handle pistol/On a graveyard frame/That shoots tombstone bullets/Wearing balls and chain"
Anyone besides me love this line? Anyway...
There really isn't much to say.
I don't see how anyone could improve. In a talent competition he'd obliterate the competitors on his first note. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Music    3. Blues Revival    4. Blues Traditional    5. Chicago Blues    6. Delta Blues    7. Electric Blues    8. Electric Chicago Blues    9. Pop    10. Slide Guitar Blues   

Features

• Original recording remastered

Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Blues    3. Country Blues    4. Jazz    5. Pop    6. United States of America   

Features

• Original recording reissued
• Original recording remastered

Subjects:  1. Blues Music    2. Pop    3. R&B    4. Retro-Soul    5. Rock    6. Rock/Pop    7. Soul    8. United States of America