Lots of great blues music to listen to this month as the floodgates creep open a bit and let a few new releases out into the world. You have your choice of tunes from veterans like B.B. King, Louisiana Red, and Little Walter as well as promising new albums from young bluesmen like Eric Lindell and Seth Walker, and a bunch of other great stuff. Here's what you'll be listening to in March.
1. B.B. King – 'Live At The BBC' (Hip-O Records)
Photo courtesy Geffen Records
A welcome compilation that collects the best of the blues legend's BBC radio performances, Live At The BBC is another solid addition to the B.B. King catalog. Sadly limited to a single disc and a mere fourteen songs (surely there's more than this sitting in the vaults), Live At The BBC includes such classic King tunes like "The Thrill Is Gone," "Paying The Cost To Be The Boss," and "Stormy Monday Blues," among others. (Release date: 03/10/09)
2. Eric Lindell – 'Gulf Coast Highway' (Alligator Records)
Photo courtesy Alligator Records
The skilled guitarist's much anticipated follow-up to 2007's acclaimed Low On Cash, Rich In Love album is said to be a fine collection of electric blues, blue-eyed soul, New Orleans-styled funk, and rock riffing. Still maturing as a songwriter, and possessing a soulful voice that evinces equal parts juke-joint energy and honky-tonk recklessness, Gulf Coast Highway is the album that will vault Lindell to the forefront of the contemporary blues scene. (Release date: 03/24/09)
3. Kelly Joe Phelps – 'Western Bell' (Black Hen Music)
Photo courtesy Price Grabber
Singer, songwriter, and guitarist Phelps has earned a reputation as a bold bluesman with a flair for fluid and improvised fretwork. Western Bell, Phelps' eighth full-length album, is a collection of eleven instrumental compositions created exclusively for guitar. Showcasing Phelp's immense talents, Western Bell showcases the bluesman's skills on 6-and-12-string guitar and lap-steel. (Release date: 03/17/09)
4. Little Walter - 'The Complete Chess Masters' (Hip-O Records)
Photo courtesy Hip-O Records
Not much information available on this potential collector's item; the Little Walter bio website is reporting that The Complete Chess Masters box set will spread across five discs and include some unreleased material from the blues harp master. This is pure speculation, but I'm guessing that this new collection will follow along the lines of the out-of-print 1992 four-disc box, The Chess Years 1952-1963, which featured 95 sides from the Chess Records vault. Throw a few unreleased tracks on an extra disc and satisfy blues collectors everywhere! (Release date: 03/17/09)
5. Louisiana Red – 'Back To The Black Bayou' (Ruf Records)
Photo courtesy Ruf Records
The result of sessions scheduled during Louisiana Red's appearance at the Notodden Blues Festival in Norway during the summer of 2008, Back To The Black Bayou features a red-hot set of songs by the underrated bluesman. Red is assisted here by guest stars like the Fabulous Thunderbirds' Kim Wilson, blues harpist Bob Corritore, and pianist Dave Maxwell. Back To The Black Bayou was recorded at the Juke Joint Studio on 24-track, 2" tape with vintage RCA ribbon microphones and mixed on a 1960s-era Audiotronics console once owned by Stax Records in Memphis. Very cool! (Release date: 03/10/09)
6. Mick Fleetwood Blues Band – 'Blue Again!' (429 Records)
Photo courtesy 429 Records
The rock star drummer, co-founder of Fleetwood Mac, and former Bluesbreakers member released Blue Again! in Europe last year as a celebration of his blues music heritage and a tribute to the original, blues-rock oriented Fleetwood Mac. The Mick Fleetwood Blues Band features Rick Vito on guitar, bassist Lenny Castellanos, keyboardist Mark Johnstone, and, of course, Fleetwood himself on drums. Recorded live at the Sheldon Concert Hall in St. Louis in February 2008 and featuring a slew of cool Peter Green songs, the album is being made available stateside for the first time by 429 Records. (Release date: 03/17/09)
7. Paul Jones – 'Starting All Over Again' (Collector's Choice Music)
Photo courtesy Collector's Choice Music
Jones, the former frontman of British Invasion rockers Manfred Mann and the voice on such enduring hits as "Do Wah Diddy" and "Pretty Flamingo," will be releasing his first solo album in decades with Starting All Over Again. Backed by an army of seasoned rock and blues music veterans, and produced by fellow musician Carla Olson (who has worked with folks like Taj Mahal, Otis Rush, and others), Starting All Over Again is a spirited collection of rock, blues, pop, and soul originals and covers. Eric Clapton also drops by to lend his guitar to a couple of tracks. (Release date: 03/10/09)
8. Seth Walker – 'Leap Of Faith' (Hyena Records)
Photo courtesy Hyena Records
Austin, Texas roots-music artist Seth Walker won no little acclaim for his self-titled 2007 album, which showcased his unique vision of blues, soul and Americana music. For Leap Of Faith, Walker's sixth album, the artist ventured out of Texas to Nashville to work with producer Gary Nicholson (Jimmy Thackery, Delbert McClinton), delivering what many are scrambling to call his best album to date. (Release date: 03/03/09)
9. Slim Wild Boar – 'The Lovesick, The Guilty, & The Drunk' (Devil's Ruin Records)
Photo courtesy Devil's Ruin Records
Dunno anything about this one, so I'll quote straight from the label's website: "Dirty sounds recorded on old, resonably fuctioning equipment, The Lovesick, The Guilty, & The Drunk shows that a one man band can make a lot more noise than on man should. Slim Wild Boar's debut album shows powerful thudding driven performances paralleling the sound of Scott H. Biram alongside the hellish sound of 16 Horsepower craving redemption." Got it? Get it, OK?! (Release date: 03/31/09)
10. Steve Rowe – 'Front Rowe Center' (Blue Skunk Music)
Photo courtesy Blue Skunk Records
Canadian blues guitarist Steve Rowe is a bona fide guitar god and a long-time part of his country's vital blues scene. A regular performer at the Montreal International Jazz Festival, Rowe's work will receive U.S. distribution with these reissues by Blue Skunk Music. Front Rowe Center, Rowe's third album, features a nationwide broadcast from the 2005 Ottawa Bluesfest, earning several prestigious Lys Blues Award nominations. (Release date: 03/17/09)
