Blues CDs New Releases - January 2012

Multi-instrumental talent Bo Carter formed the Mississippi Sheiks with his brothers Lonnie and Sam Chatmon and friend Walter Vincent, the band scoring several hits, but none more important than the standard "Sitting On Top Of The World." Carter would also enjoy a successful and influential career as a solo performer, as shown by the tracklist for Bo Carter & the Mississippi Sheiks. Released by the English blues label JSP Records, this four-CD box collects 100 songs from Carter's solo catalog, as well as his work with Charlie McCoy, the Mississippi Sheiks, the Chatmon Brothers, and more. A must have for fans of old-timey string band music. (Release date: 01/31/12)

Both as lead singer of the Belmonts and, later, as a solo performer, Dion DiMucci – the original single-name artist – left an indelible imprint on early rock 'n' roll music. Dion's musical heart has always bled a strong shade of blue, however, and from the time of his 2005 collection Bronx In Blue, he has been firmly identified as a bluesman. Tank Full Of Blues continues Dion's natural evolution back to his blues and R&B roots with an inspired collection of original material that features the singer's legendary vocals and underrated fretwork. (Release date: 01/24/12)

Although he's not nearly as well-known as early blues contemporaries like Pinetop Perkins and Honeyboy Edwards, Mississippi bluesman Eddie Cusic – a healthy 85 years young – is one of the last of his kind. An acoustic country bluesman and talented guitarist with a heart full of soul, Cusic didn't record his first album until 1998, and Leland, Mississippi Blues is only his second recording in a lengthy career. Expect inspired covers of blues and R&B standards from John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson, Yank Rachell, Willie Dixon, and Lowell Fulson mixed with Cusic's intelligent original songs. (Release date: 01/10/12)

Much like other multi-disc sets in the imported Original Album Classics series, this Etta James collection boxes up five late-period albums: Life, Love & The Blues (1998), Heart Of A Woman (1999), Matriach Of The Blues (2000), Blue Gardenia (2001), and Let's Roll (2003), most of which were originally released by the Private Music label. While this stuff doesn't hold a candle to James' classic Chess or Modern Records sides, these five albums are interesting nevertheless, featuring the R&B legend breathing life and electricity into material from songwriters as diverse as Willie Dixon, Marvin Gaye, Duke Ellington, and Bob Dylan, among others. Five CDs at a cost of around $6 each, a steal by any reckoning! (Release date: 01/17/12)

After releasing a slew of award-winning and acclaimed albums for Canada's Stony Plain Records, singer, songwriter, and guitarist Joe Louis Walker will deliver his Alligator Records debut with Hellfire, possibly the most accomplished album of his storied career. Working with producer Tom Hambridge (Buddy Guy, George Thorogood) in Nashville with a talented band, Walker has put together a rock-solid collection of songs that ranges from fiery guitar-driven blues to smoky soul and bluesy gospel. Walker's Hellfire is a career milestone, and the first great blues album of 2012. (Release date: 01/31/12)

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New Orleans musical legend Little Freddie King – no relation to his namesake, blues guitar legend Freddie King – has had a rough go of it the past few years. He disappeared for a while in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, but has since come roaring back, first with the electrifying 2010 live set Gotta Walk Wit Da King, and now with a new studio collection Chasing tha Blues. Featuring a slate of autobiographical songs, including the anthem "Born Dead," the highlight of any Little Freddie album is his fierce guitarplay. (Release date: 01/17/12)

Blues-rock guitarist Ramon Goose was a member of the popular British band NuBlues, and most recently has worked with Senegalese bluesman Diabel Cissokho, as well as the West African Blues Project. For Uptown Blues, Goose's solo debut, the singer, songwriter, and guitarist is walking the fine line where blues, jazz, and blues-rock music intersect with an abundance of stellar original material and a trio of interesting, albeit well-chosen covers of Jimi Hendrix (the classic "Little Wing"), Hound Dog Taylor ("Give Me Back My Wig"), and the Isley Brothers (the early-1960s soul-blues rant "Testify," which originally featured a young Hendrix on guitar). Should be interesting... (Release date: 01/10/12)

Talented blues guitarist Ray Bailey is a bit of an enigma. He released his debut album, Satan's Horn, to almost universal acclaim in 1993 and promptly disappeared until the release of his live "comeback" disc, Resurrection, in 2009. In the interim, Bailey has wrestled with personal demons and come out the other side undaunted, if not unscathed. Newfound fans won't have to wait another decade-and-a-half for a new disc from Bailey, the guitarist bringing his B.B. King styled, jazz-inflected blues guitar chops to a brand new set of original material on Cruisin' For A Bruisin', the album's lone cover a soulful take on the classic "Going Down Slow." (Release date: 01/17/12)

Let It Burn, Ruthie Foster's first studio album since 2009's The Truth According To Ruthie Foster, was recorded in New Orleans with Grammy® Award winning producer John Chelew and an all-star backing band comprised of some of the Crescent City's top talents. Let It Burn features a mix of Foster originals and choice cover tunes, including such eclectic fare as Adele's "Set Fire To The Rain," John Martyn's "Don't Want To Know," and Johnny Cash's classic "Ring Of Fire." All the covers are imbued with Foster's charisma and imagination, her ability to take any song and make it her own, while the originals feature her typically intelligent, emotional wordplay. One of the fastest-rising young talents in the blues, Foster's work is never less than phenomenal. (Release date: 01/31/12)