Blues CDs New Releases - April 2009

Considered by many to be Anson Funderburgh's best effort, 1987's Sins is a houserockin' collection of jazzy Texas blues with a muddy Delta edge. Featuring Funderburgh's raw fretwork and the hearty vocals and flying harp of the great Sam Myers, Sins is an underrated gem among Funderburgh's lengthy catalog. Sins is being reissued by Hep Cat Records, part of the Collectors' Choice Music family. (Release date: 04/21/09)

Blues singer Diana Braithwaite and guitarist/harpist Chris Whiteley approach blues music from an acoustic perspective. Using the sound of the 1930s and '40s as the blueprint for their wonderful original songs, Braithwaite and Whiteley pay tribute to the era with their considerate performances. Night Bird Blues is the follow-up to the duo's acclaimed 2006 album Morning Sun. (Release date: 04/21/09)

The first single-disc compilation of the Hall of Fame guitarist's career, The Definitive Buddy Guy features 17 delicious cuts drawn from the length of Guy's 50 years in the blues. From "Sit And Cry (The Blues)," one of Guy's first singles for Cobra's Artistic imprint in 1958, through Chess Records singles like 1960's "First Time I Met The Blues" to "Baby Please Don't Leave Me" from 2001's Sweet Tea, the disc includes guest appearances from folks like Eric Clapton, Jimbo Mathus, and Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones, among others. Sure, some of Guy's collaborations with harpist Junior Wells are here, as well as more than a few appearances by Guy's late brother Phil. (Release date: 04/14/09)

Never one to rest on his laurels, next-generation blues harp idol Jason Ricci follows up on 2007's Rocket Number 9 by expanding his eclectic musical palette for Done With The Devil. Recorded in Nashville, the new disc features a wide range of harmonica tones, blasted out on chromatic, diatonic, chord and polyphonia instruments, as well as appearances by tuba, electric and upright bass, and dobro, as well as the vocal debut of talented New Blood guitarist Shawn Starski. Should be a real barn burner! (Release date: 04/21/09)

Recorded live at the Whiskey A Go Go in Los Angeles in July 1972, Moving On was originally released in 1973 and has never been available before on CD. Mayall's band line-up at the time included guitarist Freddy Robinson, former Canned Heat bassist Larry Taylor, and drummer Keef Hartley, as well as a complete horn section. Endorsed by Mayall, who was interviewed for new liner notes, this reissue is available as an import from the U.K. label Lemon Records. (Release date: 04/21/09)

With this 1974 album, Mayall introduced a brand new band line-up built around guitarists Hightide Harris and Randy Resnick. The Latest Edition also brought a heady, up-tempo R&B based sound to play alongside Mayall's typical electric blues, along with topical songs like "Gasoline Blues" (maybe as relevant today as in '74) and "Troubled Times" (which called for the impeachment of then President Nixon). Reissue is available as an import from the U.K. label Lemon Records. (Release date: 04/21/09)

OK, so it's not quite an April release, but this last-day-of-March album slipped beneath our radar and is deserving of a mention. Authorized Bootleg: Live At The Fillmore Auditorium features fifteen performances culled from three nights Waters spent at the legendary Fillmore in San Francisco during November 1966. With a band that included guitarist Sammy Lawhorn, bassist Mac Arnold, harpist George "Harmonica" Smith, and drummer Francis Clay, Waters runs through a set of familiar tunes like "(I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man" and "Got My Mojo Working." (Release date: 03/31/09)

The first album from the popular Chicago blues outfit Nick Moss and the Flip Tops since their acclaimed 2007 set Play It Til' Tomorrow, the new disc – recorded live at the venerable Chan's, world-famous for Chinese food and blues in Woonsocket, Rhode Island – also features the dazzling fretwork of Chicago blues legend Lurrie Bell alongside the not-inconsiderable chops of Nick Moss. See our CD preview for more info…. (Release date: 04/21/09)

Blues shouter Omar Kent Dykes returned to Austin, where he recorded the acclaimed tribute album On The Jimmy Reed Highway, to work again with guitarist Jimmie Vaughan and a wealth of Texas musicians for the making of Big Town Playboy. Dykes revisits the Jimmy Reed songbook for a couple of songs, also drawing from material made famous by bluesmen like John Lee Hooker and Ivory Joe Hunter for the new album. Sultry vocalist Lou Ann Barton lends her pipes to a couple of songs, Vaughan pulls the strings, and legends Lazy Lester and James Cotton drop by to blast some harp. (Release date: 04/14/09)

Blues guitarist Ronnie Earl's 1988 album Deep Blues was in itself a compilation of the artist's first two albums, 1983's Smokin' and the following year's They Call Me Mr. Earl, minus a couple of tracks from the latter album. Regardless of its pedigree, Deep Blues offers up 17 red-hot performances, some with vocalist/harpist Sugar Ray Norcia and others with Fabulous Thunderbirds harp wizard Kim Wilson. Hep Cat will also be reissuing Earl's 1990 album Peace Of Mind on this same day. (Release date: 04/21/09)