CD-Charts Position 121
Average Rating:

I'm John Lee Hooker

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

Release Date November 13, 2007
Very nice. A lot of variety here. Sounds nice too. Serves as a good intro to John Lee but works for me even though I have many other discs and albums by him.

CD-Charts Position 122
Average Rating:

Traditional Delta Blues

CD-Charts > Music > Delta Blues
by: Johnny Shines

Release Date November 19, 1993
Pick this one up right away, to hear country acoustic blues the way it was meant to be played. Several great things about this particular recording: great fidelity, both straight acoustic and a lot of brilliant slide playing, features Johnny only--voice and guitar. This is a guy who ran with Robert Johnson, folks. And I would have to say he is better than Robert in terms of singing and playing. His voice is so powerful and moving, and his guitar work is second to none.

CD-Charts Position 123
Average Rating:

Yank Rachell's Tennessee Jug-Busters : Mandolin Blues

CD-Charts > Music > Delta Blues
by: Yank Rachell

Release Date June 16, 1998
This is a great CD. A bunch of old string blues musicians sitting around in a couple of the guys living rooms. (According to the liner notes, these tunes were recorded in their homes!) The sound isn't studio quality, but it's definately higher than a field recording; you feel like you're in the room with them. It's actually pretty good.

I bought this CD with the book Blues Mandolin Man. Don't bother with the book. (Read my review about it for further details.) But if you're into country acoustic blues or the mando, you've got to check out this CD. It's a little different and off-the-wall, but I listen to it quite a bit. I guess that's the highest compliment I can give it.

CD-Charts Position 124
Average Rating:

Back to the Crossroads: The Roots of Robert Johnson

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

Release Date January 20, 2004
This CD is meant as a companion piece to the book "Escaping the Delta: Robert Johnson and the Invention of the Blues" written by Elijah Wald.

The book is a scholarly investigation into the various musical, cultural, and business/economic influences that comprised the world in which Robert Johnson (RJ) created his music and his landmark recordings.

Elijah Wald's research suggests RJ was not the tortured artist recluse who single-handedly invented the Delta Blues. Rather, Wald suggests - with full respect for the talent and genious of the man - Robert Johnson was a talented and skilled entertainer of the time who listened to and mastered many of the diverse contemporary music styles of his time - and then he created his own ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 125
Average Rating:

King of the Delta Blues

CD-Charts > Music > Delta Blues
by: Robert Johnson

Release Date October 07, 1997
A reviewer below has made a mistake, or his review was misfiled: This compilation is not to be confused with "King of the Delta Blues SINGERS." THAT is the compilation which contains the alternate take of "Traveling Riverside Blues." It and its companion, "King of the Delta Blues Singers, Volume 2" also have much better mastering than any other Robert Johnson collections that I am aware of. Unfortunately, between them, ten alternate takes have yet to be upgraded from either mastering of the "Complete" collection.

I have not heard "King of the Delta Blues"--I am basing this information on the song sample Amazon has provided. But given the song lineup, this is a confusingly unnecessary product.

CD-Charts Position 126
Average Rating:

Remember Me

CD-Charts > Music > Delta Blues
by: Charles Caldwell

Release Date February 24, 2004
This is a great cd. A must have, in the top 50 of all-time blues albums.

CD-Charts Position 127
Average Rating:

The Original Delta Blues

CD-Charts > Music > Delta Blues
by: Son House

Release Date June 30, 1998
For all those pursuing deep blues this is essential listening. Sound quality is excellent. Guitar playing is rough and ready by modern technical standards, but hey - that's the way it is - all feel. Vocals are stunning. Great to hear his homage to Patton's 'Moon going down' -'Empire State Express'. This is your chance to hear real deep delta blues sans the crappy dynamics of 78RPM recordings. If only more of the old Delta players had survived long enough to be able to be re-recorded with such quality.

CD-Charts Position 128
Average Rating:

Best There Ever Was: Legendary Early Blues

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

Release Date August 26, 2003
I've been getting into this stuff for the last year or so and this is, far and away, the best "sampler" cd that I have found. In fact, it's much more satisfying to listen to these songs in this sequence than it is to listen to them on a compilation of pre-war 78's by a single artist.

Sure, Robert Johnson is great, but listening to all of his songs back to back to back can be a bit repetitive musically. After all, no one was making albums back then. Only singles, which often were variations on a theme which weren't intended to be played one directly after another. (I realize that Robert Johnson doesn't appear on this cd, but I am simply making a point.) Johnson's King of the Delta Blues Singers is a great album, but, I would argue, this is a better one. ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 129
Average Rating:

Deep River of Song: Black Texicans - Balladeers And Songsters Of The Texas Frontier

CD-Charts > Music > Delta Blues
by: Alan Lomax

Release Date March 09, 1999
In addition to the above comments, there is also a Louisiana volume (for those seeking to complete their collection)

CD-Charts Position 130
Average Rating:

Many Miles of Blues

CD-Charts > Music > Delta Blues
by: Jerry Ricks

Release Date May 23, 2000
This is Jerry Ricks's second CD, cut three years after his first (DEEP IN THE WELL). He is a master of the acoustic guitar and his blues relect the use of that instrument. He has roots deep in the pre-war blues scene. Whether reviving works by masters such as Mississippi John Hurt (LOUIS COLLINS), Buddy Moss (UNDERTAKER BLUES), or Ed Bell (ONE MORE TIME) or offering up his own compositions (MISSOURI RIVER BLUES), Ricks has both feet well-planted in the blues tradition.

He sings in a rich, deep baritone voice that's mellow and captivating (he sounds a lot like Chris Smither). Ricks is a superb artist and he asks us to share in his artistry by not only digging the words but by noticing the subtle, brilliant guitar work going on as well. It's the kind of stuff ... Read More: