You'll find slim pickings in your local record store this month as the labels steady themselves for their fall release schedule with a sparse slate of album releases. Nevertheless, there are some fine gems to be found is you're ready to listen, and new albums from blues veterans like guitarists Ana Popovic and Big Bill Morganfield are guaranteed to please. Here's what you'll be listening to in July!
1. Ana Popovic – 'Blind For Love' (Eclecto Groove Music)
Photo courtesy Eclecto Groove Music
Backed by a seasoned touring band, which has spent the last two years with here as globe-trotting ambassadors of the blues, fiery guitarist Ana Popovic returns with the much-anticipated Blind For Love. Popovic's six-string skills are apparent, and the album's lively mix of blues, jazz, funk, and gospel is a perfect showcase for the guitarist's talents. (Release date: 07/14/09)
2. Big Bill Morganfield – 'Born Lover' (VizzTone Records)
Photo courtesy VizzTone Records
Big Bill Morganfield, Muddy Waters son, has emerged from underneath his legendary father's enormous shadow to forge a distinctive career in his own right. With Born Lover, Morganfield's fourth album and his first to be distributed by VizzTone, the bluesman further designs his own legacy with a solid collection of Chicago-styled blues that feature his fine fretwork. (Release date: 07/07/09)
3. Big Pete Pearson – 'Finger In Your Eye' (Southwest Musical/VizzTone)
Photo courtesy VizzTone Records
The king of the Arizona blues scene since the 1950s, the Jamaican-born Pearson has only recorded sporadically since the turn of the decade, pursuing a ramshackle Chicago-blues sound that showcases his blustery vocals. Featuring guest appearances by guitarist Duke Robillard and blues piano legend Pinetop Perkins, Finger In Your Eye is only Pearson's third album release during a career that has spanned better than five decades, and it promises to finally put this blues survivor on the map. (Release date: 07/07/09)
4. Big Gilson – 'Sentenced To Living' (Blues Boulevard)
Photo courtesy Blues Boulevard
Brazilian-born guitarist proves that blues music is a universal language with Sentenced To Living, the artist's first stateside-distributed album. Well-known to hardcore blues followers, Gilson has released a dozen albums in his home country, and has spent nearly 14 years touring the U.S. and Europe opening for stars like Johnny Winter and B.B. King. Sentenced To Living should prove to be a fine introduction to the singer and guitarist's work for mainstream blues fans. (Release date: 07/14/09)
5. Curley Bridges – 'Live At The Silver Dollar Room' (Electro-Fi Records)
Photo courtesy Electro-Fi Records
Rhythm and blues pioneer Curley Bridges celebrated his 75th birthday with some friends and this live set captured by Live At The Silver Dollar Room. As vocalist and keyboard player for Frank Motley and his Motley Crew, Bridges was part of the first African-American band to tour Canada, bringing blues, rock, and R&B to impressionable young musicians like Neil Young and Gordon Lightfoot. Bridges would later settle in Toronto, becoming part of the area's thriving blues scene. This is Bridges' first live album, an electric collection of soul-blues that promises to entertain. (Release date: 07/14/09)
6. Harmonica Shah – 'If All You Have Is A Hammer' (Electro-Fi Records)
Photo courtesy Electro-Fi Records
Detroit bluesman Harmonica Shah is a harp wizard second to none, and with his third Electro-Fi Records release, If All You Have Is A Hammer, he is accompanied by guitarist Jack DeKeyzer on a set of blistering houserockin' blues. A street-smart songwriter, Shah delves into the economic depression of his hometown with socially-conscious lyrics and dynamic harp playing. (Release date: 07/14/09)
7. The Twisters – 'Come Out Swingin'' (Northern Blues Music)
Photo courtesy Northern Blues Music
Canada's beloved jump-blues band the Twisters ready their sophomore release for the Northern Blues Music label, Come Out Swingin', delivering more of the groove-laden, high-energy blues that won them the 2003 "Blues Album of the Year" in the Canadian Independent Music Awards. The Twisters have survived turmoil and tragedy to become the popular equivalent to Roomful of Blues for our neighbors to the north. (Release date: 07/07/09)
