From the start of this CD, a very spirited version of Lionel Hampton's "Boogie Woogie" (here renamed "Boogie #427), through a set full of boogie-woogie piano (even on non-blues tunes), blues ballads, and New Orleans-style R&B, this is a delightful outing. Kevin McKendree's piano style mixes together boogie-woogie, Ramsey Lewis, and Ray Bryant without sounding like a copy of any of them. He and drummer Big Joe Maher (who recalls Ray Charles and Charles Brown) each take two vocals, including one apiece with the backing of a tasteful three-voice vocal section. The other players are fine, but it is McKendree's piano (occasionally augmented by organ) that keeps the excitement really going. Highlights include a laid-back "Let's Get Go Stoned," "Just Before Sunrise," "Fool's Paradise," and "Sixty Sharp Knives." This accessible outing is well worth checking out.

Sacramento-based blues, swing and jump masters Little Charlie & The Nightcats have much in common with their feline counterparts. They take great (musical) leaps and always land on their feet, they're constantly on the prowl (gigging all over the world), and, with all of the various styles of music they play, they seem to have many lives. Their new CD, NINE LIVES, is the ninth album of their remarkable career. As on their previous recordings, they combine unsurpassed musicianship and inventive lyrical vision with their deep understanding of blues and jazz traditions to produce music that is both technically brilliant and soulfully streetwise. "Endlessly impressive," raves the Associated Press. "Marvelously entertaining and brilliantly played," agrees the San Francisco Examiner.

Conceived in the depths of a Thomastown water mill, Deep Down Detox, is a raucous troupe of musical misfits blending blues, soul, funk and country into a highly danceable, incendiary mash-up!

Live & Mo' is a custom blend of songs hand picked by multiple Grammy winning artist Keb' Mo' for the premier release on his own label Yolabelle International. Comprised of six live performances harvested from pinnacle moments on the road and four new studio recordings, including the aspirational anthem A Brand New America and the wry funky groove of Government Cheese. Live and Mo' represents another musical experience to be savored from Keb' Mo'. Mo's music is a purely post-modern expression of the artistic and cultural journey that has transformed the Blues, and his own point of view, over time. His distinctive sound embraces multiple eras and genres, including pop, rock, folk, jazz and the singer songwriter movement. For Keb' Mo' the common bond between these influences is the underlying storytelling ethic, the power of song to convey human experience and emotional weight.

Harris’ love of the blues led him to produce his debut blues album titled Open For Business that focuses on Harris adept guitar playing and compositions. On his blues debut Harris explores vocals unlike his previous jazz releases. With harmonies and arrangements that focus on the band’s strong suits, the songs use more than the soloist to capture the attention of the listeners. Harris’ compositional style utilizes his jazz background of improvisation, but the sound is all Southern Rock-Blues influenced.

The Downtown Livewires play out of one of the fastest growing regions in the nation: Northwest Arkansas (Bentonville). The Downtown Livewires play high energy Electric rhythm and blues, and legacy blues. Audiences of their shows love to dance and sing along, no matter the venue, whether it be clubs, festivals, private parties, or city events.

One of the greatest talents in blues - latest since his appearance at the 1977 'Berlin Jazz Festival'. Due to severe health problems, his career never really got started. During the second half of the 1990s he had sort-of-a comeback when recording three albums for Delmark. This great set was recorded in 2000 and shows him in good shape. His vocals sound intense, mature and emotional. Still you can hear the early influence of Albert King in Lurrie's guitar soloing. Backed by a superb band, this record is one Lurrie's best in recent times.

Garden of the Muse is a collection of songs written during an intense period of life and capture the songwriter's experience. Performed for many audiences before making it on a record, these are the songs that made the cut. Michael Nowak, a multi-talented songwriter, mixer, engineer, arranger, and musician whose award-winning work has been heard by millions of listeners around the globe produced the album with Mad For Joy in Vancouver, BC.

Lucky Peterson got his grounding in the blues from his father's friends, and since his father was blues guitarist and singer James Peterson, who also owned the Governor's Inn, a premier blues nightclub in Buffalo, New York, those friends included folks like Jimmy Reed, Muddy Waters, and Bill Doggett. Peterson had a career as a child prodigy on the Hammond B-3, even scoring an R&B hit with the Willie Dixon-produced "1-2-3-4," the novelty of it all landing him appearances on The Tonight Show, The Ed Sullivan Show, and others, and his debut album appeared in 1969. But it was the blues that claimed Peterson as an adult, by which time he was not only an accomplished piano and organ player, but also a quite competent vocalist and an impressive guitarist with a soaring and emotionally searing style on the instrument. This set finds him placed in a retro Chicago blues setting, with horns added in where appropriate, and Peterson is quite at home here, bringing an exuberant sincerity to the opener, "Proud to Love My Baby," and delivering the title tune, "Traveling Man," with passion and urgency, while bringing a funky groove to "Get on Down," which spotlights his piano playing.

While the disco vibe on some of these tunes is a bit cheesy, there are several outstanding performances by Taj and his International Rhythm Band. Indeed, "Little Brown Dog" catches Taj in one of his transcendental live moments when he gets so down in the groove you never want him to stop. The quality of this recording is the result of the Direct To Disc recording process. This compact disc was digitally mastered from the original master lacquer cut at the recording session, capturing the complete and unedited musical performance.

Joe Hill Louis must have been Sun president Sam Phillips' favorite bluesman. He recorded him for The Phillips, Chess, and Sun. The Sun tapes (1952-'53) are here, including Joe Hill's original versions of Tiger Man, We All Gotta Go Sometime, and the incredible Hydramatic Woman. Also included are Sun recordings with Walter Horton and Mose Vinson that feature Joe Hill. Altogether, 26 titles including West Winds Are Blowing, 44 Blues, Worry You Off My Mind, and Little Walter's Boogie. Essential for Sun fans and for lovers of raw electric Chicago-styled blues. 1-CD with 24-page booklet.

Rogers re-emerged after a long layoff with a 1972 album for Leon Russell's Shelter label called Gold Tailed Bird. It wasn't the equivalent of his immortal Chess stuff, but the Shelter sides, here in their entirety, are pretty decent themselves (and no wonder, with the Aces, Freddy King, and reliable Chicago pianist Bob Riedy all involved). A few extra numbers not on the original Shelter LP make this 18-song set even more solid.

This is a not very challenging, but thoroughly charming, summit meeting between a blues guitar master and a jazz guitar legend. Taking four classic swing tunes ("Just Squeeze Me," "Avalon," "Stuffy," and, inevitably, "Flyin' Home"), two Robillard originals, and a jointly composed slow blues, and helped out by bassist Marty Ballou and drummer Marty Richards, Duke Robillard and Herb Ellis deliver a 48-minute swing guitar master class, Conversations in Swing Guitar. Ellis comes from jazz and Robillard from the blues, so their approaches are just distinct enough to keep things interesting; although both play with a clean, fat jazz tone and no one ever really hauls off and shreds, Robillard tends towards bent notes and funky chordal things while Ellis thinks a bit more in terms of long lines and florid ornamentation. Every so often you might find yourself wishing that the edges were just a bit rougher, but both of these guys are clearly having a great old time, and you will too.

Bonnie Raitt may have switched producers for her second album Give It Up, hiring Michael Cuscuna, but she hasn't switched her style, sticking with the thoroughly engaging blend of folk, blues, R&B, and Californian soft rock. If anything, she's strengthened her formula here, making the divisions between the genres nearly indistinguishable. Take the title track, for instance. It opens with a bluesy acoustic guitar before kicking into a New Orleans brass band about halfway through – and the great thing about it is that Raitt makes the switch sound natural, even inevitable, never forced. And that's just the tip of the iceberg here, since Give It Up is filled with great songs, delivered in familiar, yet always surprising, ways by Raitt and her skilled band. For those that want to pigeonhole her as a white blues singer, she delivers the lovely "Nothing Seems to Matter," a gentle mid-tempo number that's as mellow as Linda Ronstadt and far more seductive. That's the key to Give It Up: Yes, Raitt can be earthy and sexy, but she balances it with an inviting sensuality that makes the record glow.

Martin Allbritton, a melismatic and undeniably more powerful vocalist than the finesse-oriented Twist, proves an eminently worthy successor to the beloved big man on this highly enjoyable effort. Barge also pitches in with a few lead vocals as the group attacks a handful of joyous originals ("We'll Be Friends," "Street Party," "Broad Daylight") and storming R&B classics by Sam & Dave and Harold Burrage.