Blues CDs New Releases - June 2009

The second volume of the boutique reissue label's Bo Diddley series covers the years 1960 and '61, an important and productive time for the rock & roll star. This limited edition two-CD set features a wealth of material, 54 songs in all, including alternate takes and previously unreleased recordings from albums like Bo Diddley In The Spotlight, Bo Diddley Is A Gunslinger, and Bo Diddley Is A Lover. Nobody knows Bo like Hip-O! (Release date: 06/05/09)

The little woman with a larger-than-life voice releases her Delta Groove debut this month. Titled Superhero, the album represents blues singer Candye Kane's return to music after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Undaunted, and as full of spirit as she's ever been, Superhero features the talents of young guitar prodigy Laura Chavez, as well as guest performances from folks like guitarist Kid Ramos and harpist Mitch Kashmar. Right up front, though, is Kane's incredible voice, a soulful instrument perfectly suited to the blues, expressing a full range of emotion, pain, and world-weariness. This one comes highly recommended by the Reverend. (Release date: 06/16/09)

If you haven't heard talented Detroit blues-rock guitarist Cetan Clawson, a ridiculously young 21 years old, then you're in for a treat. Clawson attacks the blues like a wild beast with a bloody chew toy, bringing the same sort of primal ferocity to the material that folks like Ted Nugent, the MC5, and the Stooges used to build the Motor City tradition of high-octane rock way back in the 1960s. White Heat is a major label-distributed reissue of the album that Clawson made when he was an absurdly-skilled 17-year-old axe-mangler, and if you like guitar-driven blues-rock, you won't want to miss this one! (Release Date: 06/30/09)

Stomp! The Blues Tonight is said to be a return to the jump blues style that Duke Robillard popularized during the early-1970s with his influential band Roomful of Blues. Featuring sixteen songs, the album showcases a combination of funky groovin' originals and classic blues and R&B gems that were originally performed by folks like Wynonie Harris, Roy Milton, and Big Joe Turner. (Release date: 06/02/09)

The youngest band in the blues blew people's minds with their 2008 debut album, Pay Me No Mind. Recorded after the three young siblings had beaten 100 other bands from around the world, walking off with the 2007 International Blues Challenge, the album earned the Homemade Jamz Blues Band a Blues Music Award nomination as well as the respect of blues fans worldwide. The trio's anticipated follow-up, I Got The Blues For You, promises more of the same – fine songwriting, Ryan Perry's impressive guitarwork, meaty basslines courtesy of brother Kyle, and little sister Taya's booming drumbeats. (Release date: 06/09/09)

Isaac Hayes' Hot Buttered Soul was a landmark album in the history of soul music. Until the album's release in 1969, soul had been strictly a singles-oriented medium. Hayes thought otherwise, stretching his inspired covers and lone original tune far past the traditional three-minute mark, imbuing each extended jam with his trademark mix of funk, soul, blues, and pop music. Four songs, almost 45-minutes of mind-blowing soul; this Stax reissue includes two bonus tracks, rare photos, and liner noted by noted writer Bill Dahl and My Morning Jacket's Jim James. (Release date: 06/23/09)

Guitarist and Chicago blues institution James Wheeler had 40 years experience under his belt by the time of his 1997 debut album for Delmark. A veteran bluesman with both touring and recording experience, Wheeler honed his chops in the employ of folks like B.B. King, Otis Clay, Billy Boy Arnold, and Otis Rush. Ready! was Wheeler's first release as a bandleader, and it's a minor classic of Chicago blues music, featuring Wheeler's fretwork, noted bassist Bob Stroger, and Wheeler's brother Golden on the harmonica. (Release date: 06/02/09)

As part of Sony Legacy's celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Woodstock Festival, this two-CD set included Johnny Winter's self-titled 1969 album in its entirety, nine songs scorching the legacy of Robert Johnson, Sonny Boy Williamson, and Lightnin' Hopkins. The second disc features eight songs from Winter's Sunday night set at Woodstock, six previously unreleased, and including red-hot covers of tunes like "Tobacco Road" and "Johnny B. Goode." For those of you asking, Sony Legacy will be releasing similar sets by Janis Joplin, Santana, the Jefferson Airplane, and Sly & the Family Stone. Pretty cool, if you ask me…. (Release date: 06/30/09)

Honestly, I don't know much about this 1970 album from the R&B giant except for the fact that Eric Clapton's guitar is featuring alongside Curtis' blustery saxophone blasts on the track "Teasin'." Curtis covers the Beatles ("Let It Be"), Paul Simon ("Bridge Over Trouble Water") and George Harrison ("Something"), backed by members of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section and his regular mates like guitarist Eddie Hinton and Cornell Dupree. (Release date: 06/09/09)

Harmonica wizard Rick Estrin was the frontman for Little Charlie & the Nightcats for almost 30 years, laying down his steady vocals and blazing harp above the wicked fretwork of Little Charlie Baty. The elder bluesman has retired from music, and turned the keys to the musical hotrod that is the Nightcats over to his former protégé. With the rock-solid, long-time rhythm section of the Nightcats behind him, Estrin enlisted the services of Norwegian six-string virtuoso Kid Anderson in the creation of the new band's debut Twisted. Estrin and crew won't be straying far from the jump blues sound that they've built their reputation on, but Twisted also spotlights the frontman's maturing and unique songwriting skills. (Release date: 06/02/09)