CD-Charts Position 191
Average Rating:

New Orleans Piano Wizard: Live!

CD-Charts > Music > Acoustic Blues
by: James Booker

Release Date February 14, 1992
This is just flat-out great music. Booker's best recordings are live, so don't opt for the studio. I think the thing that makes this album great, apart from Booker's virtuoso piano playing and deeply soulful and engaging voice, is the audience. Unfortunately, the vast majority of live Booker recordings sound as if they were performed in front of quite small, and at times seemingly disinterested, crowds. In this European recoding the crowd is attentive and appreciative. I find that Booker fed off that and really belted into these particular tracks. Let Them Talk is a virtual tour-de-force of soul music; vocal expression with a rolling, dynamic piano paving the way. This would probably classify as Booker's best recorded performance. A must have ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 192
Average Rating:

Etta Baker with Taj Mahal

CD-Charts > Music > Acoustic Blues
by: Etta Baker, Taj Mahal

Release Date October 05, 2004
Great CD of Etta James. Taj's name appears to be more of a tagline to introduce his fans to her music. Got me so it works! I expected to hear Taj sing or be able to distinguish his guitar playing, but neither happen. Yet I'm captivated by the slow picking, the traditional songs, and the degree of mastery on the guitar. All Etta James signatures I've since discovered. So I can only guess Taj added his name and playing to this CD to widen his fan base musical taste, which is his signature. Works for me. Great music.

CD-Charts Position 193
Average Rating:

Birthright

CD-Charts > Music > Acoustic Blues
by: James Blood Ulmer

Release Date May 24, 2005
Not a party record, and not something for driving, this is an intensely personal album, made to be listened to. And if you're unfamiliar with Ulmer, be aware, this is a guy who cut his teeth with Ornette Coleman, so you shouldn't expect just another blues album. But with patience and attention, this is one of the most surprising and rewarding things I've listened to in a long time.

CD-Charts Position 194
Average Rating:

Genuine Houserockin Christmas

CD-Charts > Music > Acoustic Blues
by: Various Artists

Release Date September 16, 2003
... then your guests are either Chamber Music enthusiasts ... or they're dead.

Here are 16 tunes performed by artists currently employed by Alligator Records, an independent blues label started up in Chicago in 1971 by one Bruce Iglauer, who began what is now one of the top indie operations on a shoe-strong in 1971. Over the years he has gathered together some of the best contemporary blues artists on the planet, and in this 2003 release they lend their talents to one of the liveliest Christmas-themed albums currently available.

Leading off with her own Have You Heard The News? is the Queen Of The Blues, Ko Ko Taylor (born Cora Walton on September 28, 1935 in Memphis), delivered with her patented rough and powerful voice. She's ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 195
Average Rating:

In Progress & in Motion: 1965-1998

CD-Charts > Music > Acoustic Blues
by: Taj Mahal

Release Date October 13, 1998
I bought my first Taj Mahal LP sometime around 1968 and have kept tabs on the dude ever since...because my vinyl collection shows signs of wear (to be expected after 40 years of repeated play) I went looking for replacements for my many Taj recordings, something like 20 total records, and was hard-pressed to find a collection that represented what I felt was his best material. This three-disc offering comes nowhere near covering it all, but is a fine place to start.

Over the years many people have tried to "turn me on" to Taj as someone they just discovered, largely through the many so-called Greatest Hits releases under his name...many folks have the impression that he's a Mississippi blues man, a roots-cliche sharecropper's son whose showcase tunes are ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 196
Average Rating:

Essential Blues, Vol. 3

CD-Charts > Music > Acoustic Blues
by: Various Artists

Release Date June 22, 1999
This is a so-so collection of blues recordings. A few are great, with artists like Muddy Waters, T-bone Walker, and John Lee Hooker contributing some classics. But there are a few songs that were made famous by the Rolling Stones, and they sound ridiculous played in a blues style. Bottom line: this is worth getting, but only if you can get it cheap, and you're willing to sift through some duds to get to the good ones.

CD-Charts Position 197
Average Rating:

Songs Famed for Sorrow and Joy

CD-Charts > Music > Acoustic Blues
by: Samuel James

Release Date April 01, 2008
What an incredible performer! We first saw Samuel play last year in New Hampshire and he just blew us away. "Songs Famed for Sorrow and Joy" is a very exciting first album. Every song is his own. Buy the album and then check his schedule on his MySpace page and go see him!

CD-Charts Position 198
Average Rating:

Tap the Red Cane Whirlwind

CD-Charts > Music > Acoustic Blues
by: Kelly Joe Phelps

Release Date February 01, 2005
I have been a fan of Kelly Joe Phelps ever since I first heard the Windows Media Samples of his music here on Amazon, over 5 years ago. I have all but two of his albums and I've seen him live twice. He is definitely my favorite artist. Every album of his is phenomenal but I have to say this is probably his best. I'm no music expert, but I know talent and originality and Kelly Joe is the best!

CD-Charts Position 199
Average Rating:

Endless Boogie

CD-Charts > Music > Acoustic Blues
by: John Lee Hooker

Release Date December 10, 1991
This is a quality John Lee Hooker album. The tunes are great, quality backing band (with Steve Miller on Guitar for most tracks), and excellent sound quality. This album reminds me a lot of another great JLH album 'Never get out of these blues alive' (buy it if you can find it). This is a smoking boogie blues album. Buy it and enjoy.

CD-Charts Position 200
Average Rating:

The Definitive Charley Patton

CD-Charts > Music > Acoustic Blues
by: Charley Patton

Release Date March 13, 2001
There are no legends......no person that qualifies as the best bluesman of all time.Everybody brought something to the table and everybody used someone elses material in some way.The way pre-war blues went there was only two ways to seperate everybody - singers and players...simple as that.
Charley Patton was indeed a force of nature,maybe not the best guitarist in the delta but for sure one of the best blues shouters around.What he did in his personal life doesn`t concern me but these titles are as important to me as anything I`ve ever heard.You will not understand everything he says but thats alright.....after awhile it will be easier and you will indeed be transported back in time.
He didn`t make it out of the 30`s and his reporting of what happened during those ... Read More: