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VARIOUS ARTISTS
Get the Blues! (National Association of Recording Manufacturers/NARM)
Reviewed by Eric Steiner
A blues sampler for less than two bucks? Yeah, right. I couldn't believe it either until I listened to the first-class Get The Blues sampler, produced by the National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM) Classical/Jazz Issue Forum and the Blues Music Association (BMA). The BMA, founded in 1998, is dedicated to expanding the business of the blues by expanding the marketplace for blues music. It has grown to more than 160 member companies and individuals, and some of the people behind the scenes are real "go-to" people in the blues world, including Cary Baker of the Baker/Northrop Media Group, Alligator Records' Bruce Iglauer, and Mike Kappus of the Rosebud Agency. The 18 songs represent 14 different labels that are members of both NARM and the BMA. Priced at $1.98, this 18-track, 70-minute sampler was modeled after the NARM Classical/Jazz Issue Forum's three jazz samplers and two classical samplers. I'll let the track list speak for the disc itself. There's some great blues on it reflecting the wide range of blues music, from electric blues to country blues and back. While the disc is great from start to finish, standouts for me include Walter Trout's "Ride 'Til I'm Satisfied," Sunnyland Slim's "You Can't Have It All," and Otis Rush's "My Soul's in Louisiana." Looking to expand your blues collection? Want to turn on some of your friends to a great snapshot of the blues? It's a no-brainer, Get The Blues.
Track List (and label):
Robert Cray: Baby's Arms (Rykodisc) * Shemekia Copeland: It's 2 A.M."(Alligator Records) * Delbert McClinton: Baggage Claim (New West Records) * Lucky Peterson: Remember the Day (Verve Music Group) * Keb' Mo': "The Door" (Epic / Sony Music) * Johnnie Taylor: Last Two Dollars (Malaco Music Group) * Roomful of Blues: "The Salt of My Tears" (Rounder Records) * E.G. Knight: Let the Healing Begin (Blue South Records) * Sunnyland Slim: You Can't Have It All (Earwig Records) * Tommy Castro: Lucky in Love (Blind Pig Records) * R.L. Burnside: Miss Maybelle (Fat Possum/Epitaph) * Big Bill Morganfield: Highway 69 (Blind Pig Records) * Walter Trout: Ride 'til I'm Satisfied (Ruf Records) * Otis Taylor: My Soul's in Louisiana (Northern Blues Music) * Stevie Ray Vaughan: Pride and Joy (Epic / Sony Legacy) * Rory Block: Talkin' Bout My Man (Rounder Records) *
Pick this one up at www.amazon.com.
© 2001 - Eric Steiner