CD-Charts Position 81
Average Rating:

Dancing the Blues

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

Release Date September 28, 1993
THIS CD ARRIVED PROMPT AND IN GOOD SHAPE. SO GLAD I TOOK A CHANCE WITH IT. I ONLY KNEW ONE SONG BEOFRE I BOUGHT IT, AND FOUND OUT MOCKING BIRD WAS ON IT AS WELL. GREAT MUSIC, PUTS YOU IN A GOOD MOOD WITH THE FIRST SONG.

CD-Charts Position 82
Average Rating:

Best of Lead Belly

CD-Charts > Music > Traditional Blues
by: Leadbelly

Release Date May 02, 2000
Born Huddie Leadbetter, this singer was better known as Leadbelly. The liner notes clarify his role in music history: "It would be foolish to try and rank Leadbelly as an influential force on today's modern blues practice. . .[N]either his style of playing or singing is germane to how we do business on the bandstand these days. But Leadbelly was the first rural African-American musician to receive media exposure. . . ." This statement is perhaps overstated a bit. However, Leadbelly's almost primitive art (between vocals and guitar work) is still pretty compelling. One might also note that Pete Seeger spoke highly of him.

A look at a handful of the cuts here can provide a sense of his work.

One of my favorites is "The Bourgeois ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 83
Average Rating:

The Chess Box :Muddy Waters

CD-Charts > Music > Traditional Blues
by: Muddy Waters

Release Date October 13, 1989
72 tracks on this compilation, and not a single flaw.
The Plantation Recordings from the early 40's and his late 70's albums produced by Johnny Winter are all fine, because again, he just couldn't open his mouth and sing a BAD song.
But leave these ones alone, and get The Chess Box (Everything he has done for Chess between 1947-1972). Just like other Chess artists (Chuck Berry, Howlin' Wolf, Buddy Guy) - the Chess years are his best by far, and the tracks put chronologically here serves you ear and historic sense great.
The music here is absolutely astonishing - Muddy's clear, throaty famous vocal and whining slide work, Little Walter's/James Cotton's weeping harmonicas, Otis Spann on piano and all the other members of this legendary blues ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 84
Average Rating:

Fess: The Professor Longhair Anthology

CD-Charts > Music > Traditional Blues
by: Professor Longhair

Release Date November 16, 1993
Dr. John, Allen Toussaint and others cite 'Fess as the original funky piano player. Some say he invented funky music. Pedigree notwithstanding, this collection will satisfy the New Orleans music collector or anyone who is moved by pounding, funky piano. The combinations of keyboard riffs and vocal leaps will leave you scratching your head sometimes (why there? or at all) but he makes it all work like there was no other way to play it. An absolute original, he continues to inspire. These tracks are very hard to find elsewhere.

CD-Charts Position 85
Average Rating:

Roamin' and Ramblin'

CD-Charts > Music > Traditional Blues
by: David Honeyboy Edwards

Release Date February 19, 2008
Dr. John, Allen Toussaint and others cite 'Fess as the original funky piano player. Some say he invented funky music. Pedigree notwithstanding, this collection will satisfy the New Orleans music collector or anyone who is moved by pounding, funky piano. The combinations of keyboard riffs and vocal leaps will leave you scratching your head sometimes (why there? or at all) but he makes it all work like there was no other way to play it. An absolute original, he continues to inspire. These tracks are very hard to find elsewhere.

CD-Charts Position 86
Average Rating:

Ballad for Americans

CD-Charts > Music > Traditional Blues
by: Paul Robeson

Release Date September 16, 1991
This was my introduction to both Mr. Robeson and "Ballad for Americans" many years ago. One of the most joyful, fervent patriotic ballads of all times, sung by a great patriot.

CD-Charts Position 87
Average Rating:

The Chess Box

CD-Charts > Music > Traditional Blues
by: Willie Dixon

Release Date October 25, 1990
Like many blues musicians, Willie Dixon had an interesting background. He was born, and spent his childhood, here in Vicksburg. He never had formal music education, but a local carpenter taught him harmony singing. Dixon sang bass in a local gospel quartet. Along the way, he served a couple stretches on Mississippi prison farms. He started his career as a heavyweight boxer in Chicago, but switched to music and played bass, part of the time as a house musician.

Dixon started out as a studio bass player with Chess Records when it was a fledgling company started by the Chess brothers. The present set includes 36 songs written by Dixon, and performed by a variety of artists in addition to Dixon including Muddy Waters (Hoochie Coochie Man, etc.), Howlin ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 88
Average Rating:

Escondida

CD-Charts > Music > Traditional Blues
by: Jolie Holland

Release Date April 27, 2004
A roommate of mine would play this CD on Saturday mornings while she was cooking breakfast and after hearing it a couple times from my room I would come out and sit just to listen. Somehow the music fit the mood of late morning mixed with the aroma of eggs and such. Now I have it for myself and Jolie Holland's sad, satirical, yet energetic music is a memory into that time. Thanks Marit.

CD-Charts Position 89
Average Rating:

Burnside on Burnside

CD-Charts > Music > Traditional Blues
by: R.L. Burnside

Release Date October 23, 2001
I'm a young guy and just scratching the service on blues legends like R.L. Burnside. This is the first CD of his I've bought and I'm extremely happy that I purchased it.
R.L. has an absolutely perfect blues voice. His guitar playing along with Kenny Brown is incredible. The slide guitar is one of my favorite sounds on earth and they play it to perfection throughout the album.
My favorite songs are Shake Em' on Down, Rollin' and Tumblin', Goin' Down South, Skinny Women (which is covered by a great band named the The Black Keys they call their version "Busted"), and Bad Luck and Trouble. But my very favorite is Walkin' Blues. It's the total package. It's perfect in vocals, lyrics, emotion, slide guitar, and everything in between. I can't get enough of that song. ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 90
Average Rating:

I Am the Blues

CD-Charts > Music > Traditional Blues
by: Willie Dixon

Release Date February 01, 2008
How can you give Willie Dixon less than five stars? The man has played on some of the greatest blues recordings in history and he has written some of the genre's most memorable songs. Recorded in Chicago during the summer of 1969, the album only features one third of the material recorded in that session. The band featured Johnny Shines on guitar, Walter "Shakey" Horton on harmonica, Clifton James on drums, either Sunnyland Slim or Lafayette Leake on piano, and of course Willie Dixon on bass and vocals. If you're looking for instrumental flash, this is not for you. However, Willie's deep growl is pleasant, it has a great beat, and every single song is a classic!