Don't go looking for any surprises on the blues chart for the week ending October 20, 2012 because, really, no matter how many rocks you turn over or logs you dig beneath, there's just nothing to find. The top five spots remain the same, and only Shemekia Copeland's wonderful 33 1/3 album debuts in the top ten at the high spot. Everything else is pretty much the same old, same old.
Your wallet is destined to take a beating this week, however, as a slew of cool new blues CDs will hit the shelves of your local independent record store (or, well, Amazon.com for those of you lacking a cool brick 'n' mortar retailer). Topping the list is Ian Siegal's Candy Store Kid, the British blues veteran returning to Mississippi to record with the "Mudbloods," talented folks like Luther and Cody Dickinson (North Mississippi Allstars), Alvin Youngblood Hart, Gary Burnside, and Lightnin' Malcolm. The sleeper of the week may be Craig Chaquico's Fire Red Moon, the former Jefferson Starship fretburner exploring his blues roots with a fine set of originals and covers. The legendary Delmark Records hits the market with new discs from guitarist Mike Wheeler and veteran bluesman Willie Buck, both sure to appeal to the hardcore Chicago blues fan.
Here are this week's Billboard Top Ten blues albums, ranked by sales:
10. Shemekia Copeland - 33 1/3 (Telarc Records)
9. Robert Cray - Nothin But Love (Provogue Records)
8. Gary Clark, Jr. - The Bright Lights EP (Warner Brothers)
7. Tedeschi Trucks Band - Revelator (Sony Masterworks)
6. Joe Bonamassa - Driving Towards The Daylight (J&R Adventures)
5. Tedeschi Trucks Band - Everybody's Talkin' (Sony Masterworks)
4. Gary Moore - Blues For Jimi (Eagle Rock Records)
3. Bettye LaVette - Thankful N' Thoughtful (Anti Records)
2. Bonnie Raitt - Slipstream (Redwing Records)
1. Joe Bonamassa - Beacon Theater: Live From New York (J&R Adventures)
New releases this week: Craig Chaquico's Fire Red Moon (Blind Pig Records); Gov't Mule's The Georgia Bootleg Box (Evil Teen Records); Ian Siegal & the Mississippi Mudbloods' Candy Store Kid (Nugene Records); Mike Wheeler's Self Made Man (Delmark Records); Omar & the Howlers' Too Much is not enough (Big Guitar Music); Willie Buck's Cell Phone Man (Delmark Records)
Photo of Craig Chaquico's Fire Red Moon courtesy Blind Pig Records
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