3 comments about The Best of Susan Tedeschi: Episode Two.

1. When I couldn't find the Susan Tedeschi latest release on BMG I found it quickly at Amazon...and received it within two days! What a talented young lady this is! I've been a fan since I first heard her at 19 years old singing like she'd lived a lifetime of blues.



2. This is obvioulsy a 5 star rating because it is a hits package. I would have been even better to make the two CDs a single release. Susan Tedeschi can really play the guitar and sing the blues. Don't let the pictures of her fool you. She is a good looking woman who almost sounds timid when she speaks but she can belt out the blues like no other woman out there...and better than a lot of the men.



3. Episode Two is great music but the record company isn't doing their job. Episode One had nice packaging with notes that described which CD's the songs are take from. Episode Two has no such notes, uses the same pictures, is in a jewelcase rather than a matching case and does not dig deeper into the source material than the first.Not a real pair.

5 comments about Sometime Tuesday Morning.

1. Saw and heard him open for Peter Frampton at the Wiltern. Left so impressed that I just had to get this album. Terrific stuff. Great dexterity.



2. I have owned this CD for years now. But recently I think I've been listening to it on a daily basis...It is SOOO GOOOD!!! You simply can not get tired of it. This guy is a really fantastic guitar player...If you are into guitar...if you love this instrument...you'll love Johnny AAA...Yes, AAA!!! As a master guitarist he is A class three times...



3. Don't know much about Musicology... Don't know much about Discology... But I do know what turns me on.... And this album does it wonderfully.
   
   Just before Christmas, I heard the last half of an incredible guitar song on my favorite station here in Portland OR (105.9 K-HITS) They didn't announce the artist at the conclusion of the song. I called the station the next day but I couldn't get a response. For the next few weeks I called some more then I called record stores trying to explain what a miracle sound I had heard and tried to explain it so I might find that sound again and buy the album... No Luck!! Finally last week I heard the sound again. Oh Joy.. Oh Rapture !! The DJ announced that the song was entitled "Oh Yeah" by Johnny A !!!!
   
   I called around town and no one had any of Johnny A's CD's in stock. (What a backwards town this is)So I ordered it and it arrived today. I am on my 9th continuous replay as of this missive. I am so unbelievably stoked with this album.
   
   I can't explain in musical terms what this CD has going for it. All I know is that tomorrow I will be ordering the other album by Johnny A.
   
   I am totally hooked. My suggestion is for you to Run - Don't Walk to your favorite music store and buy This album.. Quickly



4. If you love to dance, if you love guitar, if you love witnessing (in this case audibly) a master craftsman practicing his craft then you need to own this music.
   
   Johnny A, by his own admission, has had a long and tortuous love affair with his guitar; and like any long-term affair where each partner begins to assume characteristics and traits of the other, Johnny A has melded himself with his guitar to the extent that it has become an extension of his body, his soul, his mind. He has become one with his music. This man can flat out play guitar.
   
   I can't listen to this CD without dancing...I have to move, it's that evocative. And it is sooooooo smooth and sweet, like ear candy or soul candy. Definitely my favorite CD, still, after a year and a half. If you love good guitar and if you love to move and be moved, this CD is just what you need.



5. I do not know if people that do not play the guitar understand the value and meaning of tone; but most guitar players lack that one rare ability to achieve the perfect meld of guitar and melody through the right set up WITH originality and verve. Johnny A has been around for along time performing other artists songs, but wow!, he should not have spent so many years as a sideman. This CD will grab you from the first cut with haunting chord progression with that unique custom hollow body sound. You will be hooked right then and there. This CD will take you on a ride of classics,rock-a-billy,swing, blues and downright DIRTY rock and roll, Texas style. This is a must, buy it, give it, and you will never tire of it. If you do not love this CD, then give your stereo away and buy some books....You guitar players, listen and learn how the tone of your guitar and the phrasing you use can be magical..

5 comments about Essential Collection: The Classic Cobra Recordings 1956-1958.

1. This compilation has lots of Otis Rush's best early material, and while it predates his classic "So Many Roads," it is still an excellent collection of his music.
   
   I Can't Quit You Baby, Three Times A Fool, Groaning The Blues, and many others remind you why he's been such an influential guitarist, and why people like Eric Clapton love him work.
   
   This is a collection worth owning for the blues guitar fan.



2. There are some very nice tunes on here with great riffs and licks to learn if youre a guitarist. You can tell Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton ate this stuff up! Unfortunately, his vocals are often distorted. Seems as if no one else really seems to matter, so take my review with a grain of salt.
   
   These recordings were made 50 years ago and dont sound bad by any means, but thats why it got 4 stars only. I realize they may not have had too many resources to use recourding these tracks back in 1956, but this was probably the fault of the engineer. Distorted guitar can work if thats what youre going for, but when the vocals are distorting then its time to turn down the level! Otis Rush sounds great here though...I cant recommend something else that sounds better - so go ahead and pick this up. Dont expect super high fidelity though.



3. because this is as good as it gets for blues singing, guitar playing and songwriting not necessarily in any order --- Otis Rush is as great a blues artist as any other in the history of the genre



4. Excellent compilation and a great collection of songs recorded under the limited enviroment that Eli Toscano's Cobra Studio had, but all these songs stand by themselves. Every time I hear Otis or Freddie King I can hear Eric Clapton, it's clear he got influenced by this great musician. I can't quit you baby, a song written by Willie Dixon (who plays almost all the bass parts) later covered by Led Zeppelin and All your love later covered by the same Eric Clapton with John Mayall and also Aerosmith payed tribute this song later on.



5. A criminally underrated performer, southpaw guitarist Otis Rush broke into the R&B top 10 on his first attempt with the great slow blues "I Can't Quit You Baby".
   
   That song was penned by Willie Dixon, as are several of these late-50s singles which Rush recorded for Eli Toscano's Cobra label, but Rush was a more than able composer himself, and he is the man behind some of the best songs on this CD, including "All Your Love (I Miss Loving)", "Three Times A Fool" and "Keep On Loving Me Baby"; superb, sophisticated blues tunes which often eclipse Dixon's.
   
   Otis Rush' brand of blues is less rough and boisterous than the music of Howlin' Wolf, but not as polished as that of B.B. King, and he was a major source of inspiration to Stevie Ray Vaughan, who named his band after Rush's song "Double Trouble", and did a great rendition of "All Your Love".
   His intense vocals and stinging lead guitar playing is reminicent of Buddy Guy and Magic Sam, and if talent was everything and luck and timing never mattered, Otis Rush would currently be hailed as the reigning king of Chicago blues.
   
   Alternating between smouldering slow blues and swinging up-tempo numbers, this is one of the truly essential albums in any blues collection. If Rush had never recorded another note, his reputation would be intact based solely on these eight singles.

5 comments about The Essential Taj Mahal.

1. I will admit I'm a new Taj Mahal Fan. I met him at a private party several years ago and saw him again at the same annual party last fall.
   I enjoy his music and this 2 CD set is good driving tunes.



2. If you want something that covers almost all of Taj's material, this is for you. If you want a taste of Taj Mahal, who I think is fantastic, then this is too much. I used to have "The Best of Taj Mahal" but I loaned it out. Surprise, it never got returned. I should've just replaced that one which is more concise and user friendly for putting in the player for a spin. "Essential" is a sprawling two discs that varies greatly and serves more as an encyclopedia.



3. Lots of music for a decent price. If you're unfamiliar w/ Taj, it's a good introduction. If you are familiar with his music but don't have a lot of his cd's, it's a worthwhile purchase. IMO, this one really IS "essential" stuff - I could quibble w/ a selection here & there, but overall, it's a good retrospective of a brilliant musician's work.



4. I was looking forward to receiving my CD and spending time with Taj Mahal. He became one of my favorite performers after seeing him at the Fillmore East over 30 years ago. He was the first act, followed by Donny Hathaway and ending with Leon Russell. Most of the audience had never heard of him, but immediately became enraptured with his music, his playing, and his smooth as silk voice. He seemed so self assured considering the talent he was sharing the stage with . He also appeared to be thoroughly enjoying himself while entertaining us and it became infectious throughout the theater. I am sad to say that the technical quality of this newly produced CD of Taj's older work was not very good. The music seemed sloppy and fuzzy and Taj's vocals were so low that you could not really hear him. This was throughout disc one. Disc 2 was way more interesting and much more clear. Listening to him on disc 2 gave me the same pleasure I always had throughout the years as I followed his career. I gave this CD 4 stars because the second disc alone was well worth it. Simply Reyna



5. Taj Mahal is not only a bluesman but an true musician.He expands the blues format way beyond the tradition.

4 comments about Live at the BBC.

1. This has a lot of hot tracks taken from a 1988 and a 1991 performance at London's Hammersmith Odeon, but it's not perfect. Cray spices up some staid studio performances with horns and extended guitar solos and turns mediocrities like Don't You Even Care, Night Patrol and These Things into winners. But slow tunes like Right Next Door, My Problem and Acting This Way, which are thinly-veiled bragging about his conquests, ruin the high-energy pace that was developed during the first half of the album and should have been excluded in favor of better tunes such as Porch Light and I Was Warned. A major disappointment was Smoking Gun which has a short, uninspired guitar solo and closes with 2 minutes of wind-down/applause and therefore isn't really almost 7 minutes long as the Amazon sound sample implies.
   
   All-in-all a good effort but not a five-star recording though it does offer 70 minutes to love or hate.



2. This is a MUCH better CD than Across the Pond. Both CDs capture Cray's sound very accurately, but his sound in the late 80s was richer and much more energetic than in 2006. While both CDs might be nice to have, this one is the "must have."



3. Robert Cray has always been a blues player that is not mentioned often.
   In my opinion he is one of the best blues/jazz guitar players going today.
   Having seen Robert Cray in concert 3 times now and twice opening for Eric Clapton, this is how I remember hearing him in 1987, when he had just released Strong Persuader.
   That particular night I actually enjoyed Cray more than Clapton himself.
   This is how I remember him sounding, except for there was no brass backing him up.
   It is the only time I have EVER seen an opening act for a superstar get a standing ovation and an encore. Most of the time opening acts get booed offstage.
   Crays' guitar sound has always been clean and he does not use "Woman Tone" like Clapton, Buddy Guy and others.
   The music on this CD is the finest of his career, so you get to hear him play his best songs live.
   Highlights include: Foul Play, The Forecast calls for Pain, Right next door because of Me and Smoking Gun.
   This in my mind is a much better live recording than his recent live CD, Across the Pond.
   If you like Robert Cray or if you just like blues, you need to give this a listen..................



4. I purchased Cray's 2 cd "Live From Across The Pond" and while I liked it, I didn't like the pacing of the music. Just when he works the crowd up he does a few slow ones in a row. I've seen him 2 times in the past 18 months and felt his live set suffered the same problem. This "Live At The BBC" really kicks butt! I also remember seeing these tours and loving them. Pacing and song selection is great and The Memphis Horns add a great punch to the songs. Cray and the band are simply on fire. I've always been a big fan of Cray's and finally there is a good, live CD out of him. Well worth checking out.

5 comments about Just Like You.

1. Several years ago I went to a Bonnie Raitt concert (had great seats) and the pre-show performer was Keb Mo. I had never heard him or his music, but I had met Bonnie back in the early 70's and was so looking forward to seeing her and listening to her set. When Keb Mo came on stage...a stool and an acustic guitar, I had no idea what I was in for! Unbelievable guitarist and that voice...WOW! I didn't want it to end. I have since purchased most of his CDs and go see every performance I can! He is the best folk type blues musician in today's world. This CD is one of his best, everything from humor to spiritual to just good 'ole "sitting of the front porch" blues. Highly recommend this CD for anyone who enjoys music without all the "technology" that often gets in the way of the musician the songs. Gotta love just pure music of such a great artist sharing his craft.



2. I love Keb Mo! A friend introduced me to the music of Keb Mo nearly ten years ago and I in turn got my dad hooked. We are both huge fans and this is one of my favorite CDs of his. A must have for your CD collection, you will never go wrong and might get a few new Blues fans on your hands when you do. It is hard to resist the music of Keb Mo. Dangerous Mood is one of my favorites on this CD, very sultry and sexy. There's More Than One Way Home another great song. I agree with another reviewer that this has a lot of "hits" on it. ABSOlUTELY a buy!
   SMATCHI



3. I have three of Keb's Cd's and this is by far my favorite. If you love the blues or not this is a must have CD. The musicians on this record are superb and sound just as great. This is one you will listen to over and over again.



4. while not all of hardly any album or submission by an artist can be expected to please 100%, some of the negative i'm picking up in some reviews seems to come from the fact that Keb' doesn't sound like he "did," or "should." an artist is just that, and should be reaching out and pushing their limits, style and range. that doesn't always work out at the "box office," but it should be recognized for what it is and considered within that context, not some preconceived narrow definition based on art in the past. it's ok to dislike a piece or to feel indifferently about it. i think it's important to dig inside ourselves in order to have a meaningful sense of why and/or how we are affected by a piece. that is our responsibility as the viewer or listener of any art form. keep reaching, stretching and trying Keb'----i'll be there for the exploration.
   t.d.



5. His 1st disc was full of promise for a great future, but like MANY other supposed talents this is a typical "I've already used all my good stuff" discs. Don't waste your hard earned cash on this! (I did and I sure wish I had 1 more wish, so I wouldn't have bought this!) If this is "Just Like You" then You should go back to where you were!

5 comments about The Fabulous Thunderbirds - Hot Stuff: The Greatest Hits.

1. This is a great album! This has all of their great hits.I highly recommend this album!



2. Kim Wilson solo is even better! I saw him at a
   blues club by the Virginia Beach oceanfront ten
   years ago. He interacted well with the crowd and
   slapped me five when he came into audience. But
   'Fabulous' Thunderbirds is a stretch. Good or
   better than Avg. would be sufficient!



3. The Fabulous Thunderbirds are what real Rock n' Roll is all about! This is a really good compilation, it hits all the high spots and is a joy to listen to. The sound is very good and everything about this compilation is just great. If you love good Rock, you need this!



4. HOT STUFF: THE GREATEST HITS is a wonderful collection of the Fabulous Thunderbirds' later material, which combined their Texas R&B with a Memphis funk style to create a blend which succeeded in crossing over to rock radio. You should buy this anthology and the first four CDs first to start your Fabulous Thunderbirds collection.



5. What I just found out today was some of the best news I have ever heard. The T-birds are playing at my prom! This will be the best night of my lifee!!

5 comments about Bring 'Em In.

1. I've listened to quite a few blues players and Buddy Guy is the most energetic and uptempo player I've ever had the pleasure of listening to. This cd ROCKS! Plain and simple. In particular: Cut You Loose, What Kind of Woman, Now You're Gone, Cheaper To Keep Her, and Somebody's Sleeping In My Bed are all above average tracks and will have you playing this album for years to come. A must own for any Blues/Rock fan. Kudos to Buddy Guy for cutting such a rocking album!



2. I love the Blues and Buddy Guy, but not every song on here is a gem or even the blues.
   
   My favorite song on here is the Tracy Chapman "Ain't No Sunshine" song, but it isn't exactly the blues.
   
   The blues numbers I like are "Cheaper to Keep Her" and "Cut You Loose", but even those are not his best.



3. The first six tracks off of Buddy Guy's "Bring 'Em In" explode out of your speakers like a rocket ship -- fitting for a guitarist who continues to soar at an age when most strummers tend to lower their volume.
   
   If "Sweet Tea," Buddy's much-heralded previous album, was the raw, tortured sound of an ancient bluesman wrestling with the devil and evil women, his latest release finds him in sunnier spirits -- sort of.
   
   He's still ruing lost loves, of course, both on the opening track, "Now You're Gone," and later on with the anxious "Somebody's Been Sleeping In My Bed." But then he's off like a hound dog, attacking Wilson Pickett's "Ninety Nine and One Half" and "What Kind of Woman Is This" with incredible fire. Both songs are filled with grooves from a bygone era and worth multiple listens.
   
   Razor-sharp solos cut through most of the songs, including the rollicking "On A Saturday Night" and the Carlos Santana joint wah-wah fest that is "I Put A Spell On You."
   
   The second half of the album regretfully meanders. A duet with Tracy Chapman on "Ain't No Sunshine" inexplicably fails to catch fire, and Buddy clearly stumbles on a mawkish cover of "Lay Lady Lay" and "I've Got Dreams to Remember." Minor quibbles, though. Buddy's inviting us in for a jam session, and it would foolish to turn him down.



4. Buddy Guy is so good at guitar shredding that it takes us aback when we hear him playing smooth, mellow, and laidback, which is what he does on "Bring 'Em In."
   
   Guy does some interesting covers, and has some high-powered guest stars on this record. He covers "I Put A Spell On You," "Lay Lady Lay(Guy covers Dylan?)" "Cheaper To Keep Her," and " Do Your Thing." Joining him ove various cuts are Carlos Santana, Keith Richards, and John Mayer.
   
   Guy's playing is a lot more subdued on this record, but it's no less compelling or thrilling. Guy always delivers the goods, and "Bring 'Em In" is no exception. This is definitely worth checking out.



5. This CD has a great band, great production and a star studded cast, that's all the things that probably make it sell, but make me not enjoy it. Buddy is great and his solos are great, but I like him best when I can close my eyes and I'm transported to a little smokey club somewhere and I'm just listening to that raw guitar, way out in front, just peelin' the paint off the walls. I guess this is an attempt to make some dough and sell some records to the pseudo blues fans, but I'd go for Stone Crazy, Blues Singer, and Sweet Tea, those all rock in their own rights.

5 comments about Second Winter.

1. This album has some really great contemporary electic blues played with rock and roll attitude and fire. The second disk features the same musicians (Uncle John Turner and Tommy Shannon) with Johnny's brother Edgar live at Albert Hall England, the performance is just incindiary...



2. Great package but be warned there are ugly FBI warning medalions printed on both CDs and on the art work on the back cover that absolutly ruin the great effort at artwork. If you don't like being warned by the FBI every time you load the CD you just paid for buy the Version offered on Amazon.co.uk B0002M1DDY it is the same package, made in Austria with NO, ABSOLUTELY NO FBI warnings printed all over your otherwise great CDs. I ordered the set from Amazon.co.uk itself, paid about $23 USD and got it in days. Beautiful clean CDs and artwork - no FBI crap.



3. can be found on this classic album by Johnny Winter. Please listen to the solo that Johnny launches into in the middle of "Miss Ann" and you will agree. Guitar playing does not get any better than this.
   
   Having been around long enough to remember when Second Winter first came out on vinyl (yes, the famous 3-sided LP), and then buying it again and again in various "new" music formats as they came along - cassette, 8-track, CD, and finally, this two-disc set, I can without question say that Second Winter is a rock blues masterpiece that deserves a place right alongside B.B. King's "Live at the Regal" in the Best Blues Albums of All-Time Hall of Fame. This is the master at his very best. Buy this CD and then buy it again and give the second Second Winter to a friend.



4. like the late great michael bloomfield said,THIS CAT CAN PLAY!!!!!!johnny can turn his frets into flaming nickels.this is my favorite cd of his.



5. This is in my opinion the best JW cd of them all. The bonus tracks are absolutly must haves. This is one of the best blues/rock album you will find.

5 comments about Hooker 'n Heat.

1. Simply 'the best' for the voodoo of truely great Harmonica boogie improvisation. Alan Wilsons [pre-suicide] respect and harmonica 'call & response' to John Lees creative outpourings are like nothing else before or since. What a session. This record is a highly influencial album in my life and stands as a great example of 'electric Harmonica' tone and technique. I would give my 'coolies' for Al's amplifier and wonderful style. Meanwhile The whole band sounds very excited and committed to honoring their session with the legendary boogieman. What more to say? The tunes are often long improvised 'jams', spread with 'solo' loose tunes with John Lee Hooker, his words, guitar and ever tapping foot. This historical recording is not everybodys 'cup of tea' but if you want 'real' trance like boogie and blues with that primitive rhythmic vibe this is 'the ducks guts'.



2. I guess Hooker is not my kind of blues, nothing against it, though. Maybe I will take it to the gym with me today and maybe it will help me with my workout.



3. This is a great set, a raw & spontaneous jam session (what else would you expect from these guys?) with a production quality that almost sounds like it was recorded just yesterday. The first CD mostly features JLH alone-- stompin' & cookin' up the sparse & emotional groove that is uniquely his. The second CD features more of Canned Heat with some excellent guitar & harp work by the band. The last cut, Boogie Chillen #2, is worth the purchase alone, especially if you're a harmonica fan.



4. In 1970 the blues-rockers Canned Heat got this, as it would turn out, great idea in bringing blues-legend John Lee Hooker into the studio for a close collaboration. The album was planned as a feature for John Lee Hooker in that respect that half of the album would mostly feature his solo stuff, where as the other half would be together with the group.
   
   The amazing thing is that it brings the best out in John Lee Hooker, as he would deliver some of his most inspired performances ever - that also maybe due to the "Heat's" enormous respect for the man. Canned Heat had proved themselves to be among the most serious and properly best of the "white" American bluesbands with original compositions, especially by the late blues-harp `wonder' & rhythm/slide guitarist Alan Wilson - and by bringing in a slightly more `rocking' approach, they popularised a music that, at the time, seem to have faded away from the limelight (maybe some remembers hits like "Going Up The Country" or "On The Road Again").
   
   Even more wonderful is the fact that the inspiration is mutual and Hooker's duets with Wilson's soulful harmonica, later in the first half, is literally sparkling - there is a fantastic communication between the two. But also the second half with the band is really smoking and I personally really like their bassist Antonio De La Barrada for his inventive and driving playing, but no doubt that Canned Heat fore and most was a group - a unit, and that really shows and because of their open, raw and honest nature, they musically fits so well with Hooker and makes him sound so great.
   
   Canned Heat's lead-singer though, Bob "the bear" Hite, respectfully stands back and solely dedicates himself as a producer together with Skip Taylor. Unfortunately this also was to be Canned Heat's last album with Alan Wilson, who prematurely died soon after these recordings. A loss they properly never really overcame and their best work is also to found before this tragic event occurred with albums like: "Boogie With Canned Heat", "Live At Topanga Corral", "Living The Blues" and "Future Blues".
   
   Many have acknowledged this work to be some of the best Hooker ever delivered - I for one agree.



5. As much as I love the 1989-1997 albums that closed out John Lee's amazing career (Healer, Mr. Lucky, Boom Boom, Chill Out, Don't Look Back), 1970's Hooker 'n Heat is a true crown jewel in the legacy. Just as Johnny Winter's pure sympatico hand of support guided Muddy Waters through his late-career Blue Sky albums, Canned Heat provides the most solid and driven backing I've heard on a JLH album. John Lee is in full-blown Crawling King Snake mode here...on this album he's not a kindly "elder statesman," he's a dangerous man, and if you approach his flame, you WILL get burned. The late Heat vocalist Bob "The Bear" Hite limits himself to co-producer duties here, so the musical dynamics come from Al "Blind Owl" Wilson (his final recording), guitarist Henry "Sunflower" Vestine (get ready for the thoroughly insane 11 minute "Boogie Chillen No. 2"), Antonio de la Barreda on bass and Fito de la Parra on drums. The first 9 tracks are John Lee solo. Wilson joins tracks 10 and 11, and the full band backs the remaining 6 tracks. Make no mistake about it...you WILL get cold chills when Hooker bellows "Alan! Alan! Blow your HORN, baby!" on "Let's Make It."