No comments about The Ultimate Blues Collection.

3 comments about There Must Be a Better World Somewhere.

1. This is a Classic, the Sax player is the Legendary David "Fathead" Newman, a true artist who teams with BB king to produce a remarkable CD. Short but complex on so many levels.



2. Fun is teh only word to describe this GREAT music, jump blues with BB's vocals and guitar work by BB on lucille!!!



3. This is a reissue of an album that originally came out on vinyl in the late '70's or early '80's, but it's still one of my favorites. "More, More, More" is vintage B.B. in his "nothing exceeds like excess" mode, while "There Must Be a Better World" is the blues in action. But "Born Again Human" is, IMHO, one of the best tunes he ever recorded, positive and uplifting without being sappy, and touching without being sentimental. Good stuff.

1 comments about Three Shades of Blues.

1. It just doesnt get any better than this! If you are a fan of blues, I guarantee that you will love this album! Skip James, Bukka White, and Blind Willie McTell are three of the founding fathers of the blues, and they get down to the raw meat of it! In short, a great blues compilation!

5 comments about Dreamer.

1. It does not get any better than this, fantastc voice meets young Larry Carlton(!)on guitar. -Peter



2. Together with Little Milton this man has to have one of the most recognizable & imitated voices in music. Take note please because this c.d. is timeless. The songs will leave you breathless from the very first track which is "Ain't no love in the heart of the city"...a song later covered by Dave Coverdales rock band "Whitesnake" and also Walter "Wolfman" Washington. But just listen to this original version because NOBODY sings it like Bobby Blue Bland! Bobby Blands voice was MADE for this song. He smoothly sings about life and it's hardships, the ups & downs, and his lyrics apply to some stage in our lives. This album contains some fine guitar work from a young Larry Carlton.
   "24 Hour Blues" is the real deal as is the title track, "Dreamer". Smoky, growling and sensual.Pour yourself a drink, turn the lights down low, spin this disc and let Bobby tell you about life.



3. Another album of mine which is atypical of my collection in that it is vocal based, but one which is memorable. Bobby Bland smoothly delivers some smokey, husky sounds from 1974 which still measure up. Blues on the edge of soul.



4. This album is a gem.....classic R&B sung by the master himself, Mr. Bobby Blue Bland. Do not let the release date of 1974 scare you...there is absolutely no "disco" sound only pure "sung from the soul" R&B with a fantastic back-up band. Each cut is unique to itself so that it never gets boring; each song is a timeless classic of love lost or of being down and out. When you're feeling blue this is the album to turn to!



5. I bought this album as it featured constantly in critics fave lists over the years (especially remember reading about Dreamer in a Desert Island Collection by Australian music critic Stuart Coupe in an ex-girlfriend's magazine one lazy afternoon). Bobby sings like no-one else. He has this growl that at first seems out of place - it's so unexpected. But he puts such feeling into building up each tune - no song of his starts on high emotion - Bobby likes the slow burn, you dig? When I play his music for my friends they think it's someone having a laugh - sort of like comedian Lenny Henry doing his Theo T Wildebeast routine (especially going by the photos in the jacket too - they're in a classic pimp style). But to true lovers of soul you can tell that Mr Bland is the real thing. Defintitely worth a listen.

4 comments about The Big Blues.

1. Albert G-d rest his soul, was simply the best that ever played a blues guitar. As a teenager in 1969 I played organ for him before joining BB King's band. NOBODY ever outplayed him on a good night. His perfect timing & rhythm and total on key in-tune bends never ceased to amaze me.
   Maybe some could play more notes, but no one could play one note better'n him. As soon as you'd hear him, you'd know it was him and not someone else stealing his licks, as so many have. Arguably, he may have played & grooved better on his Stax material, but he was no slouch here and was well on his way towards developing his signature stinging sound that was so unique and original. He was a great, kind and wonderful human being as well.



2. This was Albert King's first official album and, finally, the material therein - usually splattered across various slapdash bargain collections - is restored to context. The rhythm section isn't anything close to the precision of the Stax/Volt crew which graduated King from rumour to star in 1966 (well, name one rhythm section that is) - but if you can overcome both that and a couple of songwriting turkeys, you're in for a treat. Put this together with the King tracks on Chess's "Door to Door" and you've got a comprehensive gathering of just what made Albert King's reputation enough that Stax couldn't wait to sign him when they had the chance in the first place. Even at this comparatively early stage of his blues career, Albert King was playing like his life depended on it.



3. i must confess that the drawing on the jacket is wrong. the painter does not know albert king. albert king is "left handed" guitarist. the jacket drawing must be corrected. as an albert king fan the drawing is just not acceptable.



4. Dynamite album! Top shelf stuff from one of the real originals. A couple of duds but otherwise his best studio recording. Slide on baby!!!

1 comments about Hello Central: The Best of Lightnin' Hopkins.

1. IT'S VERY HARD TO SAY THIS IS THE BEST OF LIGHTNIN'HOPKINS.BUT THE BLUES IS A FEELIN FROM WAY DOWN DEEP INSIDE.TO ALL THE TRUE BLUES LOVERS LIGHTNIN SING ALL 20 OF THESE SONGS WITH PURE FEELIN AND SOME SONGS ON THIS DISC ARE A BOOGIE WHICH WILL HAVE YOU TAPING YOUR FEET FOR SURE.I'M NOT A WRITER SO IF THIS REVIEW SOUNDS CORNY TO YOU THEN OH'WELL.BUT TAKE IT FROM A GUY WHO LISTEN TO THE BLUES EVERYDAY AND I HAVE AT LEAST 400 PLUS BLUES CD'S THIS IS GOOD STUFF NO DOUBT.GET YOUR WHISKEY PUT THIS DISC ON THE PLAYER TURN IT UP AND SEE FOR YOURSELF.

5 comments about Funkifino.

1. Oh how the mighty have fallen. You can't help but listen to the son of Blues Guitar Legand -Luther Allison- with out some hope. But in the case of this CD, it is the bottom of the barrel, plastic funk grooves, lyrics so shallow you could wade thru them, and a musical direction filled with lurid images and tired ideas.
   
   I don't wanna hear about your drinking problems, your girl troubles, or hopes for world peace...I wancha to rock out and bend the guitar strings, dude.
   
   I recall watching an 18 year old Bernard playing so proudly with his pops on stage at Biddy Mulligan's in Chicago in the 1980s. Luther would make rare visits back to Chicago from France, where Luther lived in exile because the Amercian audiences would not support blues in the 70s, 80s & 90s. This is Luther's legacy?
   
   It hurts me so, cause this CD is the pits. R.I.P Luther.



2. Bernard allison never let's me down ! I'm more of a blues fan than funk man but bernard flawlessly plays both on most of his albums.



3. I bought this CD several years ago at one of BA's shows. I was surprised when I got it home and found all the funk, However, having seen BA a few times, I knew that he could do more than the blues. Now this is one of my favorite cd's for the car, especially after a hard day at work, and my ipod for working out at the gym. If ever lost or damaged, I would replace it immediately. The funk with BA's unique vocals is unlike any other cd in my collection and I enjoy comparing and contrasting it with BA's earlier and later works. If you're looking for the blues that BA performs at blues festivals, don't buy it. If you're open to something with a wider focus with some blues thrown in, give it a chance. Maybe you will like it as much as I do.



4. Well, I made a sort of mistake when I purshased this item. I thought it was the last piece from BA and I was waiting his bluesy songs with some aroma of funk , but oh! this is crispy funky music. He has better productions and the blues is his forte not funky music...is what I think.



5. Having seen Bernard Allison live on many different occations, I know him as a great blues/rock/funk player. This cd is a real disappointment because it sounds more like disco/funk and I was expecting to hear some of Bernard's great guitar licks which are just not present on this cd. If I were Bernard, I would want to forget that I recorded this one.

3 comments about King Bee.

1. "King Bee" is the last of the three late-seventies/early eighties-albums produced by Texas blues guitarist Johnny Winter, and it is also a slightly lesser record than its two excellent predecessors, "Hard Again" and "I'm Ready", mainly because the track list isn't quite as strong.

   But that doesn't make it a bad album by any stretch of the imagination...66-year old Waters is backed by virtually the same band that he worked with on "Hard Again" and "I'm Ready", and the arrangements are superb, making even somewhat mediocre songs like the light-weight "Champagne And Reefer" and the generic "Too Young To Know" work quite well.

   And the good songs certainly outnumber the mediocrities:
   There's the classic, shuffling "Mean Old Frico Blues", Muddy Waters' fine take on Slim Harpo's "King Bee", the slow blues "Sad Sad Day", the supremely funky "(My Eyes) Keep Me In Trouble", and the acoustic masterpiece "I Feel Like Going Home" (superb Son House-inspired slide guitar playing by Johnny Winter).

   3 3/4 stars...definitely recommended, although it probably shouldn't be your first Muddy Waters-purchase. But a good collection of solid, professionally executed blues music which will certainly appeal to Muddy-fans.




2. Next to the phenomenal "Hard Again" recording, this is my second favorite Muddy Waters albums. The power and brute force of Muddy ripping through great songs like "King Bee", "Mean Old Frisco Blues" and "My Eyes Keep Me In Trouble" is something to behold. The mastering and clarity of the CD transfer make this music even more powerful and appealing.

   Buy this CD, you won't be disappointed. Muddy Waters is very deserving of his "legend" status.




3. If you like Muddy Waters, or the blues in general, grab it. You won't be disappointed. "Champagne and Reefer", "Mean Old Frisco Blues", "I Feel Like Going Home" are highlights, but there really isn't a bad song on this one.

1 comments about Heroes of the Blues - The Very Best of Furry Lewis.

1. Considering the fact that thier are not too many "legal" cd's by blues guitarist/singer Furry Lweis, this cd should be acquired by his fans, only by default. The 1st several recordings are from the early 30's, though NO recording dates are given!!! The rest seems to be from the 40's-50's blues/folk revival period, and find him less in his prime. What needs to appear on cd is a collection of his early "hot" sides, with recording dates! This cd is a so-so release, but still worth picking up, just cuz' there's so little Lewis on cd, available in major record stores. The music itself isn't bad, so pick this up if your a fan, just be prepared for lousy packaging and lame selections, on the latter 2 thirds of teh cd.

1 comments about John Lee Hooker Plays and Sings the Blues.

1. With little more than the steady stomp of his foot, the virtuosic hum of his guitar, and his famously murky voice, John Lee Hooker makes blues magic. These are wry, witty, beautifully simple songs, and if you don't find your foot tapping in time to the rhythm at least once, you haven't been paying attention.
   

   Considering these songs were recorded 50 years ago, the sound is remarkable pristine and pure, with the exception of the disc's liveliest tune, the pleasantly scratchy "Mad Man Blues," and "Hey Boogie." There's at least one odd hiccup-- track 8, "Lonely Boy Boogie", ends abruptly in mid-song-- but otherwise, this is a satisfying and soulful disc for those in need of a blues fix.