The year is coming to a close, but there's still plenty of great blues music to be heard. This month includes some choice reissues from folks like Big Joe Turner, Jeff Beck, and Howlin' Wolf as well as a diverse selection of new blues from artists like Carolyn Wonderland, Popa Chubby, the Cash Box Kings, and Sugar Ray & the Bluetones. No matter what your taste in blues is, here's what you'll be listening to in October....
Big Joe Turner had a voice larger than life, and he sure knew how to light up a stage. There's not much info available on this obscure live collaboration, Turner backed by his acolyte Michael Bloomfield, and Bloomfield's former Butterfield Blues Band mate, pianist Mark Naftalin. The tracklist looks encouraging, though, including such signature Turner hits as "Shake, Rattle and Roll," "Flip, Flop and Fly," and "Chains of Love," as well as a cover of T-Bone Walker's classic "Stormy Monday Blues." (Release date: 10/04/11)More »
The Texas blues singer and guitarist's eighth album finds Wonderland in good form, kicking out a solid collection of her guitar-driven blues, boogie, and rock music. Ken Bays says that the album "establishes her as an artist to be reckoned with," and that's all I need to know. Check out Ken's review.... (Release date: 10/04/11)More »
Chicago blues faves the Cash Box Kings have been kicking the can for better than a decade now, slowly making a name for themselves with their unique blend of Delta and Chicago blues. You just gotta give props to a band that can cover Muddy Waters and Hank Williams and make it work as they do here. Guest Author Steve Pick says that "the Cash Box Kings just don’t seem capable of making a wrong move. They have humor, invention, respect, and skill going for them, making Holler and Stomp a completely enjoyable blues experience." Read Steve's review.... (Release date: 10/04/11)More »
Underrated Australian blues guitarist Fiona Boyes follows up on her critically-acclaimed 2009 album Blues Woman with Blues For Hard Times, a sixteen-song collection of traditional blues music. Boyes delivers six solo tracks – just her and her guitar, which is pretty cool – and ten tracks backed by a small ensemble, the album featuring an inspired mix of acoustic and electric blues. Worth checking out.... (Release date: 10/25/11)More »
Now, this is what I'm talking about…the one and only Howlin' Wolf gets the super-duper box treatment with this four-disc, 97-song collection. Smokestack Lightning: The Complete Chess Masters 1951-1960 offers up a lot of the well-known as well as a number of rarities and Wolf obscurities from one of the most prolific periods of the artist's career. The box is accompanied by a 45-page booklet featuring many rare photos, and liner notes by Peter Guralnick and Dick Shurman. Presumably, this is the first of two volumes (since the Wolf made a lot of great music after 1960). (Release date: 10/24/11)More »
Over the past decade, British bluesman Ian Siegal has become a U.K. musical institution. With Skinny, Siegal moves beyond his comfort zone and travels to Northern Mississippi to work with "The Youngest Sons," a talented group of sons of blues legends for a set of Hill Country styled blues. Playing behind Siegal are guitarists Garry Burnside (R.L. Burnside) and Robert Kimbrough (Junior Kimbrough) and drummers Rodd Bland (Bobby "Blue" Bland) and Cody Dickinson (James Dickinson); Alvin Youngblood Hart and Duwayne Burnside also contribute. Should be interesting.... (Release date: 10/25/11)
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame guitarist Jeff Beck hooks up with reissue specialists Friday Music for the first North American CD release of Live At B.B. King's Blues Club. A red-hot and smokin' set of songs performed at B.B.'s joint in New York City, the guitarist is backed up by drummer Terry Bozzio and keyboardist Tony Hymas, the same trio that banged out Beck's 1989 Guitar Shop album. The tracklist looks like the guitarist's usual high-octane mix of rock, blues, and jazzy bluster. (Release date: 10/18/11)More »
This is a long-overdue reissue of esteemed Chicago blues guitarist Johnny B. Moore's 1997 album Troubled World. Influenced by Magic Sam, Moore pursues a pure West Side Chicago sound, having learned his craft from the great Jimmy Reed and after touring behind giants like Koko Taylor and Willie Dixon. Troubled World is an inspired collection featuring a handful of Moore originals and covers of classics from Muddy Waters, Guitar Slim, Sonny Boy Williamson, and others. (Release date: 10/18/11)More »
Acoustic blueswoman Mary Flower is undeservedly obscure, the talented fingerstyle guitarist picking it out old-school. Influenced by Piedmont and Delta bluesmen like Scrapper Blackwell, Robert Johnson, and Blind Melon Jefferson, Flower's work tends to sit comfortably in that sweet spot where folk and blues music intersects. Misery Loves Company is another solid collection of elegant acoustic blues, jazz, and roots music featuring duets with masters like Curtis Salgado, Colin Linden, and Dave Frishberg. (Release date: 10/11/11)More »
Back To New York City is an eleven-song collection that features plenty of guitarist Popa Chubby's fiery fretwork, sometimes in some surprising settings. Back To New York City includes Chubby's take on Johan Sebastian Bach's instrumental "Jesus Joy of Man's Desiring," which documents the guitarist's search for spiritual enlightenment; the hard-rocking "Warrior Gods"; or the humorous Stevie Ray Vaughan-inspired Texas shuffle "She Loves Everybody But Me." Chubby describes his music as "the Stooges meets Buddy Guy, Motörhead meets Muddy Waters, Jimi Hendrix meets Robert Johnson," and Back To New York City offers moments of both authentic blues and scorching, blues-inspired rock 'n' roll. (Release date: 10/11/11)More »
Big-voiced blues singer Sharon Lewis picks up the torch left behind by the late, great Koko Taylor for her Delmark Records' debut, The Real Deal. It's hard to believe that this is only the singer's second solo album after a 2004 indie release; Lewis's appearance on guitarist Dave Specter's 2007 Live In Chicago album brought her to the attention of the blues world outside of Chicago. With her band Texas Fire, Lewis tears through a set of original tunes and often-performed covers on The Real Deal, including Van Morrison's "Crazy Love" and Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine." (Release date: 10/18/11)
Singer and harmonica player "Sugar" Ray Norcia is another underrated bluesman, his talented band the Bluetones providing energy and enthusiasm to Norcia's blend of Chicago-styled and jump-blues performed with an undeniable R&B flavor. For Evening, Norcia welcomes former Bluestones guitarist "Monster" Mike Welch back to the fold for what promises to be a real wildfire collection of original and classic material, including a cover of Otis Rush's "You Know My Love." (Release date: 10/18/11)More »
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•Big Joe Turner w/Michael Bloomfield – 'Shake, Rattle & Blues' (Blues Boulevard)
Big Joe Turner had a voice larger than life, and he sure knew how to light up a stage. There's not much info available on this obscure live collaboration, Turner backed by his acolyte Michael Bloomfield, and Bloomfield's former Butterfield Blues Band mate, pianist Mark Naftalin. The tracklist looks encouraging, though, including such signature Turner hits as "Shake, Rattle and Roll," "Flip, Flop and Fly," and "Chains of Love," as well as a cover of T-Bone Walker's classic "Stormy Monday Blues." (Release date: 10/04/11)More »
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•Carolyn Wonderland – 'Peace Meal' (Bismeaux Productions)
The Texas blues singer and guitarist's eighth album finds Wonderland in good form, kicking out a solid collection of her guitar-driven blues, boogie, and rock music. Ken Bays says that the album "establishes her as an artist to be reckoned with," and that's all I need to know. Check out Ken's review.... (Release date: 10/04/11)More »
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•Cash Box Kings – 'Holler & Stomp' (Blind Pig Records)
Chicago blues faves the Cash Box Kings have been kicking the can for better than a decade now, slowly making a name for themselves with their unique blend of Delta and Chicago blues. You just gotta give props to a band that can cover Muddy Waters and Hank Williams and make it work as they do here. Guest Author Steve Pick says that "the Cash Box Kings just don’t seem capable of making a wrong move. They have humor, invention, respect, and skill going for them, making Holler and Stomp a completely enjoyable blues experience." Read Steve's review.... (Release date: 10/04/11)More »
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•Fiona Boyes – 'Blues For Hard Times' (Blue Empress Records)
Underrated Australian blues guitarist Fiona Boyes follows up on her critically-acclaimed 2009 album Blues Woman with Blues For Hard Times, a sixteen-song collection of traditional blues music. Boyes delivers six solo tracks – just her and her guitar, which is pretty cool – and ten tracks backed by a small ensemble, the album featuring an inspired mix of acoustic and electric blues. Worth checking out.... (Release date: 10/25/11)More »
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•Howlin' Wolf – 'Smokestack Lightning' (Hip-O Select Records)
Now, this is what I'm talking about…the one and only Howlin' Wolf gets the super-duper box treatment with this four-disc, 97-song collection. Smokestack Lightning: The Complete Chess Masters 1951-1960 offers up a lot of the well-known as well as a number of rarities and Wolf obscurities from one of the most prolific periods of the artist's career. The box is accompanied by a 45-page booklet featuring many rare photos, and liner notes by Peter Guralnick and Dick Shurman. Presumably, this is the first of two volumes (since the Wolf made a lot of great music after 1960). (Release date: 10/24/11)More »
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•Ian Siegal & the Youngest Sons – 'Skinny' (Nugene Records)
Over the past decade, British bluesman Ian Siegal has become a U.K. musical institution. With Skinny, Siegal moves beyond his comfort zone and travels to Northern Mississippi to work with "The Youngest Sons," a talented group of sons of blues legends for a set of Hill Country styled blues. Playing behind Siegal are guitarists Garry Burnside (R.L. Burnside) and Robert Kimbrough (Junior Kimbrough) and drummers Rodd Bland (Bobby "Blue" Bland) and Cody Dickinson (James Dickinson); Alvin Youngblood Hart and Duwayne Burnside also contribute. Should be interesting.... (Release date: 10/25/11)
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•Jeff Beck – 'Live At B.B. King's Blues Club' (Friday Music)
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame guitarist Jeff Beck hooks up with reissue specialists Friday Music for the first North American CD release of Live At B.B. King's Blues Club. A red-hot and smokin' set of songs performed at B.B.'s joint in New York City, the guitarist is backed up by drummer Terry Bozzio and keyboardist Tony Hymas, the same trio that banged out Beck's 1989 Guitar Shop album. The tracklist looks like the guitarist's usual high-octane mix of rock, blues, and jazzy bluster. (Release date: 10/18/11)More »
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•Johnny B. Moore – 'Troubled World' (Delmark Records)
This is a long-overdue reissue of esteemed Chicago blues guitarist Johnny B. Moore's 1997 album Troubled World. Influenced by Magic Sam, Moore pursues a pure West Side Chicago sound, having learned his craft from the great Jimmy Reed and after touring behind giants like Koko Taylor and Willie Dixon. Troubled World is an inspired collection featuring a handful of Moore originals and covers of classics from Muddy Waters, Guitar Slim, Sonny Boy Williamson, and others. (Release date: 10/18/11)More »
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•Mary Flower – 'Misery Loves Company' (Yellow Dog Records)
Acoustic blueswoman Mary Flower is undeservedly obscure, the talented fingerstyle guitarist picking it out old-school. Influenced by Piedmont and Delta bluesmen like Scrapper Blackwell, Robert Johnson, and Blind Melon Jefferson, Flower's work tends to sit comfortably in that sweet spot where folk and blues music intersects. Misery Loves Company is another solid collection of elegant acoustic blues, jazz, and roots music featuring duets with masters like Curtis Salgado, Colin Linden, and Dave Frishberg. (Release date: 10/11/11)More »
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•Popa Chubby – 'Back To New York City' (Provogue Records)
Back To New York City is an eleven-song collection that features plenty of guitarist Popa Chubby's fiery fretwork, sometimes in some surprising settings. Back To New York City includes Chubby's take on Johan Sebastian Bach's instrumental "Jesus Joy of Man's Desiring," which documents the guitarist's search for spiritual enlightenment; the hard-rocking "Warrior Gods"; or the humorous Stevie Ray Vaughan-inspired Texas shuffle "She Loves Everybody But Me." Chubby describes his music as "the Stooges meets Buddy Guy, Motörhead meets Muddy Waters, Jimi Hendrix meets Robert Johnson," and Back To New York City offers moments of both authentic blues and scorching, blues-inspired rock 'n' roll. (Release date: 10/11/11)More »
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•Sharon Lewis & Texas Fire – 'The Real Deal' (Delmark Records)
Big-voiced blues singer Sharon Lewis picks up the torch left behind by the late, great Koko Taylor for her Delmark Records' debut, The Real Deal. It's hard to believe that this is only the singer's second solo album after a 2004 indie release; Lewis's appearance on guitarist Dave Specter's 2007 Live In Chicago album brought her to the attention of the blues world outside of Chicago. With her band Texas Fire, Lewis tears through a set of original tunes and often-performed covers on The Real Deal, including Van Morrison's "Crazy Love" and Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine." (Release date: 10/18/11)
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•Sugar Ray & the Bluetones – 'Evening' (Severn Records)
Singer and harmonica player "Sugar" Ray Norcia is another underrated bluesman, his talented band the Bluetones providing energy and enthusiasm to Norcia's blend of Chicago-styled and jump-blues performed with an undeniable R&B flavor. For Evening, Norcia welcomes former Bluestones guitarist "Monster" Mike Welch back to the fold for what promises to be a real wildfire collection of original and classic material, including a cover of Otis Rush's "You Know My Love." (Release date: 10/18/11)More »