No comments about The Encyclopedia of Early Blues Classics.

No comments about Live 1986: Up and Down the Highway.

1 comments about Live at the BP Studienhaus.

1. Who would have ever thought a Polish Jazz Band could be so good? The point of the matter is, Boba and his jazz band are pure classical jazz. The songs on this track compare to other great jazz bands and many of them will have you grooving to the sounds.

   The impromptu sections of the song are two points away from genius.

   The CD will come as a great surprise to anyone thinking this Polish Jazz band is only for the Europeans.

2 comments about Real Live.

1. I heard Satisfy Me on the House of Blues compilation last year just by chance.I became transfixed the first time I heard it. I wrote to a friend of mine in Houston and asked if he had heard of her. He sent me three of her albums and I became a fan for life. Real Live is my favorite of her collection. It is raw and real and intense. I agree that Satisfy Me is fantastic, and I disagree that I Just Want to Make Love to You is a low point. It is the best arrangement of the song I have ever heard. I am a blues singer with a band in Portland OR but I grew up in Louisiana near East Texas.Becky Barksdale's work touches my soul. I saw Becky and had the pleasure to meet her at a Easy Riders show this past January. Seeing her, meeting her and hearing the way she plays guitar and sings truly changed my life. She plays and sings the way I always thought it should be. Real Live is one of my top 5 all time favorite albums. If you like your blues bottom-line and dripping with moist emotion, buy Real Live.



2. This CD was my introduction to Becky Barksdale, a product of a random selection. Prior to purchasing this disc, I had never seen her perform or heard anything that she has released. Listening to the CD, I was readily impressed with her sultry voice and her ability as a guitarist. This is a really good CD and one that cries out for some attention. If you would like to hear some really good blues by a very talented young lady, give this a spin. Best track: "Satisfy Me" Low point: "I Just Want to Make Love To You".

No comments about Big Blues: Live At Ronnie Scott's, London.

5 comments about In Session.

1. Outstanding CD! It will make you smile, tap your toes, and do a little dance.



2. As a huge chicago blues fan, and a even greater SRV fan, you truely get the best of both worlds. With the hundreds of blues cd, that I own, spanning from leadbelly to keb'mo, this cd holds a special place in my heart. This cd comes out just as SRV'S texas flood is released, and the rest they say is HISTORY. Every track on this cd ROCKS!!! A must for any true blues fan, and in my opinion, One of the top 5 cd for people new to the blues to start with. You will not be dissapointed, you will become an instant lover of the blues!



3. I've been known to find cooperative efforts between guitar masters to be less than fulfilling, likely due to the high expectations I have from seeing two such names on an album cover. This, however, is an exception. Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughan, mentor and protege, play the Hell outta these blues! And there's little doubt that they're having a great time doing so, playing some classic blues selections, with the notable appearance of Vaughan's own "Pride and Joy" and King's "Blues at Sunrise."
   
   All in all, it's a great, fun blues album, featuring two of the masters.



4. Dear God,
   
   When I die, please send me to the same place as these two. Albert King...in my opinion the greatest bluesman (combination of voice and guitar) in the past 50 years, is at or near his best in this collaborative effort. Stevie Ray, as always, is simply flawless. Some folks complained about the chitchat between tracks, but I thought that it was a nice addition.
   
   We might as well have deleted the E and S from the blues with the passing of these two. If you don't have this CD, your blues collection isn't complete.



5. This was one of the best blues CD's I've purchased in the past couple of years. I like the jam sessions on the old favorites like Pride and Joy, etc.

5 comments about Live at the Prism Coffeehouse.

1. I can't describe how good Schmidt is, both as a lyricist and as a guitarist/melody-writer. He is better than most of the folksingers you've heard of. Sometimes I find myself laughing out loud, incredulous at how Danny came to string these words together. The depth of his insights is a gift to listeners of this album. The kicker is that he accomplishes all of this without even a hint of the self-indulgence, overdone metaphors or simpering triteness to which so many contemporary singer-songwriters succumb. Save some dough on shipping and go ahead and buy five copies. You'll want to share this discovery with friends.



2. This is now one of my favorite folk CDs. Danny has such a nice feel for melody, and the tunes work so well with the lyrics. He is obviously a very thoughtful and inspired musician, and I look forward to his next release in June.



3. It's a crime that this guy is not being played on every radio station across this country. I grew up with Bob Dylan, and thank god I did. I really feel for the kids growing up today, with The Backstreet Boys telling them they oughta be eating Burger King woppers, and Eminem telling them how to treat other people. I had pretty well given up on today's music and musicians. Now I've just given up on the music INDUSTRY. Danny Schmidt writes amazing songs that touch you, that make you feel human (and ok with being human), and make you feel like there's someone else in the world that feels the way you do about being alive and about dealing with being alive. No songwriter has done that for me since Bob Dylan.

   A friend of mine discovered Danny's music on MP3.com, immediately bought the CD. Listened to it once and got back online to buy 5 more to use as presents, one of which was mine. Now I'm online buying one for my daughter at college, in hopes that she might know that there's a poet for her generation, too.

   As far as "reviewing" the CD, I don't know exactly what to say. Pretty folky, pretty bluesy, a little bit country. Usually understated and subtle musically, but with occassional flashes of wild guitar playing. It seems like, mostly, he just lets the music help tell what he's trying to say. And LYRICALLY, he's just totally razor sharp. Sometimes fancy poetics, sometimes real plain language. But always, just RIGHT on. And he sings with a very expressive voice. Not a "pretty" voice, but again, he uses it beautifully to say what he has to say. The energy and enthusiasm of the crowd definitely is apparent on the CD, and I think it really helps to make Danny's music all the more "real". You can totally feel the sense of one person sharing of themselves with other people. It would be interesting to hear if that feeling would come across in a studio recording, as opposed to a live recording.

   All in all, I more than "liked" the CD. I think it's the best music I've heard in a very long time. I hope I get to hear the man in person one day.




4. I met Danny before I ever heard him sing (or even knew that he did) and was impressed immediately by his warmth, sincerity, and humility. Then I found out he had just released a CD and managed to make it to his CD release party where I was blown away by his songwriting, guitar playing, and his beautiful harmonies with Joia Wood. Before the show was over I had a CD in hand and have given copies to many friends many times since. He plays and sings from the heart and his songwriting demonstrates that he is wise beyond his years. The combination of his gravelly voice intertwined with Joia's angelic one reminds me of the unbeatable Gram Parsons/Emmy Lou Harris combination. If you like folk or Americana at all, I strongly urge you to give this one a try.



5. Exceptional heartfelt realism brought to life through true artistic expression is how I would describe this CD. The lyrics contained in this album could only have been inspired by real human experience. Danny Schmidt, who I hear is very popular in Charlottesville and the surrounding areas, makes music from the soul. More innovative than Bob Dylan in his arrangements but more traditional in his rthyms that Tom Waits...we could be witnessing the emergence of a new folk hero.

No comments about The Fat Man Sings Live.

No comments about American Folk Blues Festival: 1970.

No comments about Buxton '95: The Alexis Korner Memorial Concert.