Blues CDs New Releases - November 2009

Texas bluesman Andrew "Jr. Boy" Jones is known as an accomplished blues guitarist, learning his craft from Freddie King and performing for years behind harmonica wizard Charlie Musselwhite. Gettin' Real is Jones' much-anticipated debut for the Electro-Fi Records label, and it follows a buzz-creating performance at last summer's Chicago Blues Festival. Is the world ready for another Lone Star state blues fretburner? Yup, I think so…. (Release date: 11/17/09)

Anson Funderburgh & the Rockets' 1991 album Tell Me What I Want To Hear is widely considered to be Funderburgh's best work, and the title track was used in the film China Moon. Featuring the vocals and blazing harp of the legendary Sam Myers and Anson's red-hot fretwork, the album included an inspired set of jump blues, Delta grit, and Texas soul. Originally released by the New Orleans-based Blacktop Records, Tell Me What I Want To Hear is being reissued by Hepcat as part of their welcome restoration of the Blacktop catalog, and includes a couple of bonus tracks. (Release date: 11/10/09)

In 1979, vocalist and guitarist Arthur Adams took a twenty-year break from his recording career, playing sessions and working clubs rather than pursuing solo blues stardom. Still, his star continued to rise, 'cause you can't keep a man with this sort of talent down, and when he returned in 1999 with Back On Track, audiences were ready for his old-school soul-blues sound. Stomp The Floor is Adams' third release since re-launching his solo career, a stellar collection of original material that showcases Adams' songwriting skills, his classic R&B-tinged vocals, and fluid B.B. King-influenced fretwork. (Release date: 11/10/09)

Who says that you can never go home again? Vinyl is back, baby, and noted blues label Alligator Records is getting back in the game with this first JJ Grey and Mofro album to be released on black wax. A collection of nine songs culled from the duo's previous albums, some of which are pretty hard to find, The Choice Cuts also includes a great Grey solo version of Van Morrison's blue-eyed soul classic "Tupelo Honey." (Release date: 11/3/09)

The undisputed "Queen of Chicago Blues," and one of the greatest female blues singers of all time, Koko Taylor tragically left us earlier this year just as Hip-O Select was preparing this ultra-deluxe, limited edition re-release of Taylor's What It Takes Chess Records compilation. Whereas the original 1977 release of this album featured 18 incredible performances, including some rare material from Taylor's hard-to-find sophomore album Basic Soul, as well as a live performance with Muddy Waters, this expanded reissue adds six more songs for an even two-dozen examples of old-school blues greatness. (Release date: 11/10/09)

A sharecropper who primarily played only on the weekend, Texas blues great Mance Lipscomb was a true "songster," a talented performer and guitarist who was proud of his ability to transcend the blues genre and play songs in a variety of styles, from pop and spirituals to country-blues and ballads, and more. Lipscomb was in his 60s when he began his recording career, and quickly became a favorite on the folk festival circuit of the mid-to-late-1960s. The 22 songs on The Best of Mance Lipscomb were hand-picked by Arhoolie's Chris Strachwitz, who first recorded the artist back in the '60s. (Release date: 11/17/09)

Singer and harp player Sandy Mack has been part of the New Jersey blues scene for a decade now, and aside from performing with his own band, he has also lent his skills to recordings by Albert Castiglia, Nicole Hart, and others. Still Going Strong is Mack's long-awaited second album, a collection of ten originals and four well-chosen covers that features some of the Jersey area's best musicians accompanying Mack's strong vocals and high-flying harpwork. Special guest Kid Ramos drops by to cut loose with some fiery fretwork. (Release date: 11/10/09)

Known in his beloved New Orleans hometown as the "Human Jukebox" for his exhaustive repertoire of songs, the blind guitarist Snooks Eaglin is too often overlooked when people are discussing great blues stylists. With soulful vocals reminiscent of Ray Charles and an imaginative six-string playing style that could reinvent any song, Eaglin was a one-of-a-kind performer. Considered Eaglin's masterpiece, Teasin' You was originally released by Blacktop Records in 1992, reissued here by Hepcat with a cool pair of bonus tracks alongside inspired covers of blues and R&B from Professor Longhair, Lloyd Price, and Earl King, among others. (Release date: 11/10/09)

Blues-rock guitarist Todd Wolfe is a three-decade music veteran that has opened for folks like Johnny Winter, Robin Trower, Omar and the Howlers, and the great Albert Collins. Wolfe has toured with Sheryl Crow, performed with Carla Olson of the Textones, and pursued a notable solo career in the blues. Stripped Down At The Bang Plaza is Wolfe's fifth album, a collection of stripped-down covers and a smattering of original tunes, recorded live in the studio in response to his fans' desire for more "down home music." Among the covers here are Mountain's "Mississippi Queen," Muddy Waters' "She's Nineteen Years Old," and the Willie Dixon-penned Howlin' Wolf classic "Evil." (Release date: 11/10/09)