Category Archives: Albums

Ursula Ricks offers some down-home soul-blues on My Street

Posted on December 17, 2013 by Mike

Okay, we admit it: we hadn’t really heard much about soul/blues singer Ursula Ricks either before receiving a copy of her debut album My Street (Severn Records), despite having spent quite a few years bouncing around the same Baltimore/D.C. suburbs where Ricks has been … Continue reading →

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Joanne Shaw Taylor lets it burn on Songs from the Road live CD/DVD set

Posted on December 5, 2013 by Mike

We’ve written here a few times before about the British-born, now U.S.-based blues rocker Joanne Shaw Taylor. And we’ve also told you about Ruf Records’ popular Songs from the Road series, including a recent set from fellow Brit guitar slinger … Continue reading →

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Coming up on the Crossroads; double DVD, CD sets capture some of world’s best guitarists at Clapton’s fourth Crossroads festival

Posted on November 14, 2013 by Mike

Having been fortunate enough to attend both nights of Eric Clapton‘s Crossroads Guitar Festival this spring, we’ve been eagerly awaiting the highlights DVD that customarily follows, scheduled for release next Tuesday. For the first time, some of the music will … Continue reading →

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Chicago bluesman Toronzo Cannon fires shot heard ’round the world with sophomore release John the Conquer Root

Posted on November 7, 2013 by Mike

If it’s true what they say about being able to measure a man by the company he keeps, then we’re guessing that blues drummer Brian “BJ” Jones has to be one pretty good guy. In addition to being a member … Continue reading →

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Bluesman Sugaray Rayford plays it Dangerous on new solo release

Posted on September 19, 2013 by Mike

Last week, we told you about some of the great new blues releases coming out in September, a majority of them hitting the shelves this week. Perhaps our favorite of this most recent bunch comes from one from the best blues singers … Continue reading →

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Taj Mahal, Shemekia Copeland, other blues faithful team to present True Blues

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Mike

Not since the designation of 2003 as the “Year of the Blues” has the genre been more celebrated than it is on the newTrue Blues CD from Telarc, featuring solo and joint performances from blues greats Taj Mahal, Corey Harris, Guy … Continue reading →

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Smithsonian Folkways delivers another classic in Classic Harmonica Blues

Posted on May 21, 2013 by Mike

Hard as it may be to imagine a worthy collection of blues harmonica that doesn’t include the likes of James Cotton, Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson, Junior Wells, or Big Walter Horton, leave it to the good folks at Smithsonian … Continue reading →

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Where did you come from, Cotton Mouth Man?: Blues harp legend James Cotton strikes a personal chord with new Alligator CD

Posted on May 7, 2013 by Mike

As far as we can tell, blues harmonica giant James Cotton has never published a memoir, nor has anyone yet written a book on the life of this extraordinary bluesman, who’s been playing since age nine. And with the release … Continue reading →

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Guitarist John Primer, harmonica ace Bob Corritore team for Knockin’ Around These Blues

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Mike

While it may have been the guitar that dominated much of the past month here on our blog – between our coverage of Eric Clapton’s Pittsburgh show, the Crossroads Guitar Festival, and new albums from both Ronnie Earl and Ana Popovic –  the next few weeks … Continue reading →

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Guitar Week continues: Ronnie Earl & the Broadcasters’ Just for Today more like one for the ages

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Mike

We’ve had several instrumental blues albums cross our desk in recent weeks, including the latest releases from both guitarists Tinsley Ellis (Get Up!, Heartfixer Music) and Ronnie Earl (Just for Today, Stony Plain Records). As much as we enjoyed listening … Continue reading →

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