The new releases are starting to flow a little easier in September, with great new discs from Kenny Neal, Eden Brent, Joe Louis Walker, Lucky Peterson, and Robin Rogers, as well as cool reissues from Muddy Waters and Nine Below Zero, as well as a live archive disc from the great Junior Wells. And don't forget the Black Country Communion blues-rock "supergroup" with Joe Bonamassa; here's what you'll be listening to in September....
1. Black Country Communion – 'Black Country Communion' (J&R Adventures)
Photo courtesy J&R Adventures
This is the album that guitarist Joe Bonamassa talked about during our interview back in March. A blues-rock "supergroup" comprised of Bonamassa, vocalist and bass player Glenn Hughes, drummer Jason Bonham, and keyboardist Derek Sherinian, the twelve-track Black Country Communion is a throwback to the blues-rock vibe of the early 1970s, alternately sounding like Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin, but with Hughes's great rock 'n' roll voice and Bonamassa's unbridled, bluesy shred. More rock than blues, but no less worthwhile for it.... (Release date: 09/21/10)
2. Eden Brent – 'Ain't Got No Troubles' (Yellow Dog Records)
Photo courtesy Yellow Dog Records
Blues Music Award-winning pianist Eden Brent follows up Mississippi Number One, her acclaimed debut disc, with the equally engaging Ain't Got No Troubles. Travelling from her hometown of Greenville, Mississippi to New Orleans to record in the hope of capturing a little of the Crescent City's musical magic, Brent didn't ride down the interstate but rather followed the backroads and byways down the Mississippi River to the Big Easy. The resulting recording capturing the energy and vitality of the region, Brent adding a little New Orleans spice to her gritty Delta piano blues. (Release date: 09/07/10)
3. Eric Clapton - 'Clapton' (Reprise Records)
Photo courtesy Reprise Records
With his 19th studio album, blues guitar great Eric Clapton went to New Orleans to work with co-producer Doyle Bramhall II (an old buddy of Stevie Ray's) on the 14 tracks that comprise Clapton. With guest stars that range from J.J. Cale, Derek Trucks, and Steve Winwood to Wynton Marsalis, Sheryl Crow, and New Orleans legend Allen Toussaint, Clapton features a mix of country blues, jazz standards (think Hoagy Carmichael), and blues-rock that is said to be unlike anything the guitarist has previously released. (Release date: 09/28/10)
4. James Cotton – 'Giant' (Alligator Records)
Photo courtesy Alligator Records
A collection of a dozen new performances, including four original songs written or co-written by legendary Chicago bluesman James Cotton, Giant also features covers of material from such greats as Muddy Waters, Ivory Joe Hunter, and B.B. King. Cotton's first album in six years was recorded by producer Stuart Sullivan in Austin, Texas with a band that includes guitarists/vocalists Slam Allen and Tom Holland, bassist Noel Neal, and drummer Kenny Neal, Jr. The album celebrates Cotton's 66 years in the business and will remind listeners of both Cotton's power and his skill with the harmonica. (Release date: 09/28/10)
5. Joe Louis Walker – 'Blues Conspiracy' (Stony Plain Records)
Photo courtesy Stony Plain Records
Recorded live during the January 2010 Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise, this dynamic eleven-song performance includes such sea-cruisin', blues-bruising guests as Tab Benoit, Johnny Winter, Tommy Castro, and Duke Robillard, among other talents. Among the highlights on the upcoming Blues Conspiracy are a fiery version of "Ain't That Cold," with Walker and Johnny Winter swapping hot licks; the classic "Born In Chicago," Walker assisted by guitarists Nick Moss and Paris Slim while Jason Ricci romps roughshod over his blazing harmonica; and "Eyes Like A Cat," performed with Tommy Castro and Deanna Bogert. (Release date: 09/28/10)
6. Junior Wells – 'Live In 1966' (Delmark Records)
Photo courtesy Delmark Records
Recorded in Boston just a few months after the release of Junior Wells' groundbreaking Hoodoo Man Blues album, Live In 1966 captures an hour of great blues music and Wells' humorous verbal give-and-take with the club audience. Wells is backed by the Aces for this performance, guitarist Louis Myers, bassist David Myers, and drummer Fred Below one of the best blues outfits on the planet at the time. With songs like "Messin' With The Kid," "Worried Life Blues," "That's All Right," "Fattening Frogs For Snakes," "Got My Mojo Workin'," and six others, I can't wait to hear this one. (Release date: 09/21/10)
7. Kenny Neal – 'Hooked On Your Love' (Blind Pig Records)
Photo courtesy Blind Pig Records
It's been two years since the release of Kenny Neal's critically-acclaimed, award-winning Let Life Flow album, and we've been ready for a new one from the talented guitarist for just about as long! Hooked On Your Love is Neal's follow-up, a dozen red hot and smokin' tracks with New Orleans flavor that mix up traditional blues with boogie-woogie, jazz, R&B, and Neal's trademark swamp-blues sound. (Release date: 09/14/10)
8. Kenny Wayne Shepherd – 'Live! In Chicago' (Roadrunner Records)
Photo courtesy Roadrunner Records
It's been a couple of years since we've heard from blues guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd, his 2007 album 10 Days Out (Blues From The Backroads) winning all sorts of awards and well-deserved acclaim. Recorded during at the Windy City's House of Blues club, Live! In Chicago features such blues legends as former Howlin' Wolf guitarist (and successful solo artist) Hubert Sumlin; harp player and former Muddy Waters drummer Willie "Big Eyes" Smith; blind New Orleans guitar talent Bryan Lee; and guitarist Buddy Flett, whose band the Bluebirds backed Shepherd on his first public performance at the tender age of 13 years old. (Release date: 09/28/10)
9. Lucky Peterson – 'You Can Always Turn Around' (Dreyfus Records)
Photo courtesy Dreyfus Records
Blues guitarist Lucky Peterson returns to the blues world with his first album in seven years, You Can Always Turn Around. Peterson, a talented multi-instrumentalist, displays an eclectic choice of material on the album, including songs from Delta blues legend Robert Johnson, Piedmont bluesman Blind Willie McTell, and folk-blues artist Rev. Gary Davis, as well as skilled contemporary wordsmiths like Tom Waits, Lucinda Williams, Ray LaMontagne, and Gil Scott- Heron. You Can Always Turn Around closes with Peterson's soulful take on the Curtis Mayfield song "Think." (Release date: 09/28/10)
10. Mark Robinson – 'Quit Your Job Play Guitar' (Blind Chihuahua Records)
Photo courtesy Blind Chihuahua Records
You just gotta respect a guy who walks it like he talks it, and blues guitarist mark Robinson speaks loudly and walks a straight line. As he says, he "quit my monkey job and moved to Nashville, Tennessee," where he now makes a living playing his guitar. As for his debut album, Quit Your Job Play Guitar, while I wouldn't offer the title's advice to everybody, I would heartily recommend the album, a fine collection of blues-rock, Chicago blues, roots-rock, and Memphis-styled soul. (Release date: 09/06/10)
