Blues CDs New Releases - February 2009

Chicago blues veteran Bobby Jones, who also lends his powerful, soulful vocals to the acclaimed blues ensemble the Mannish Boys, steps out on his own with a solo effort guaranteed to feature plenty of heart and soul and gritty performances. Joined by members of the Mannish Boys, as well as guests like Junior Watson, Al Blake, Lynwood Slim, and Fred Kaplan, Jones delves into the songbooks of bluesmen like Elmore James, Junior Wells, Ike Turner, and B.B. King, among others, to find obscure gems to interpret. (Release date: 02/17/09)

Named after the classic Bob Dylan song, Sweetheart Like You is the follow-up to Guy Davis' critically-acclaimed, multiple Blues Music Award nominated 2006 album Skunkmello. Aside from his inspired take on Dylan, Davis brings his acoustic guitar and soulful voice to covers of Muddy Waters' "Can't Be Satisfied" and Leadbelly's "Follow Me Down" as well as almost a dozen of his rich, finely-crafted original songs. (Release date: 02/10/09)

Guitarist Jim Suhler has toured the world as a member of George Thorogood's Destroyers band the past nine years, but on his own Suhler has blasted out his own individual blend of Texas blues-rock for almost two decades. Tijuana Bible is Suhler's latest effort, recorded with his band Monkey Beat, and the album features 13 original songs along with inspired covers of Elvin Bishop's "Drunken Hearted Boy" (including Bishop guest-starring on slide-guitar), Rory Gallagher's "I Could've Had Religion," and AC/DC's "Up To My Neck In You." Stringbender Joe Bonamassa and soulful vocalist Jimmy Hall also lend their talents to Tijuana Bible. (Release date: 02/17/09)

The popular blues-rock guitarist's follow-up to his critically-acclaimed 2007 album Sloe Gin, Joe Bonamassa's The Ballad of John Henry may well be his best effort to date. A rock-solid collection of blues and blues-rock songs with a touch of soul, the record features plenty of blistering guitarplay and serves as a fine showcase for Bonamassa's maturing songwriting skills. The album will be followed up by a lengthy tour. (Release date: 02/24/09)

There is no shortage of compilation albums purporting to represent blues legend John Lee Hooker's long and storied career. The 32-song, two-CD set 50 Years is the first to draw from across five decades of classic Hooker, providing the most comprehensive overview of the artist's work to date. From Hooker's first hit single, 1948's "Boogie Chillen," through influential performances like "Crawlin' King Snake" and late-career collaborations with artists like Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, and Bonnie Raitt (including the Grammy™ Award winning duet "I'm In The Mood"), 50 Years provides both new and old John Lee fans alike with an impressive, career-spanning collection of songs. (Release date: 02/17/09)

Blues-rock guitarist Johnny Winter's tape archives have been producing some real winners over the last couple of years, and this fourth installment in Winter's Live Bootleg Series of albums might be the best yet! The album features nine scorching live performances, including Winter's favorite versions of "Shake Your Money Maker," "Looking For Trouble," and "Sugaree," as well as a rare acoustic performance of Muddy Waters' "Rollin' and Tumblin'." New liner notes are provided by Vintage Guitar magazine's Tom Guerra. (Release date: 02/10/09)

Guitarist Jorma Kaukonen has enjoyed three distinctive eras during an acclaimed career that shows no signs of slowing down after 40+ years. A founding member of the Jefferson Airplane during the 1960s, Kaukonen helped define San Francisco's psychedelic sound. During the 1970s, Kaukonen fronted Hot Tuna, an important stylistic precursor to the jam bands of the '90s. These days the talented six-string wizard is an acclaimed bluesman, and Kaukonen uses River of Time to explore his love of old-time country blues. Aside from a half-dozen original tunes, Kaukonen delivers up versions of classics from Mississippi John Hurt and Rev. Gary Davis. (Release date: 02/10/09)

The future "Queen of the Blues," Shemekia Copeland's Never Going Back displays the full range of the singer's talents, mixing up smoking blues with red-hot R&B and smooth soul, backed by a rocking band. If you're a fan of blues wailers like Etta James or Koko Taylor, you owe it to yourself to check out Copeland. (Release date: 02/24/09)

With a larger-than-life voice that was trained by the church, but honed into a powerful instrument by the blues, singer Shirley Johnson's Blues Attack is her second album for Delmark Records. A collection of traditional Chicago blues, red-hot R&B, and finger-poppin' soul music, Blues Attack should make Johnson a hot topic on the summer's festival circuit. (Release date: 02/17/09)

American Landscape is the first album in five years from legendary roots-and-blues band the Nighthawks, and the first to feature the band's current line-up of original members Mark Wenner (harmonica, lead vocals) and Pete Ragusa (drums, vocals) and newcomers Paul Bell (guitar, vocals) and Johnny Castle (bass, vocals). The album promises the Nighthawks' usual mix of blues, rock, R&B, and rockabilly and features unique covers of songs by folks like Bob Dylan, Lazy Lester, Ike Turner, Tom Waits, and Dan Penn, as well as the band's houserockin' original tunes. (Release date: 02/03/09)

A long-time staple of the Chicago blues scene, Vance "Guitar" Kelly has wowed critics and fellow musicians for twenty-five years, but has somehow managed to slip beneath the radar of mainstream blues music fans. Bluebird is Kelly's sixth studio album, and a sure bet for increasing the audience of the Living Blues Award-winning guitarist. A collection of original soul-blues songs, Bluebird also features covers of Isaac Haye's "Little Bluebird" and Roosevelt Sykes' "Driving Wheel" and includes Vance's daughter Vivian guest-starring on vocals. (Release date: 02/10/09)