2001's Top 5 Blues Albums
This month, I'll stray from the Cosmik Debris pack a little by reviewing my top
five blues CDs right here at Cosmik Blues. I've also managed to sneak in my top
five books in Everything Else in Review and I've
included my top five CDs from the broader music community along with my virtual
colleagues in this issue's main music feature, the annual Cosmik Debris Top Five extravaganza.
I salute the following blues artists for their outstanding achievements in the
blues in 2001. There was a great deal of great blues released last year, and
this bunch really showed me that the blues is in good hands.
CHICAGO BLUES POSSE: One Shot Deal (CBP Records, Self-Released)
You may not have heard of the Chicago Blues Posse, but I'll bet that you've
heard of the bands these guys have supported as sidemen over the past 25 years.
Glenn "The Wiz" Wierzbicki has played the drums for Son Seals and Pops Staples,
and Mike Boyle's bass has fueled the music of Son Seals and John Primer. Mike
"Music Man" Gallemore has worked with Sam Lay and the Kinsey Report, and is
working double time on a new Chicago blues project, Chicago Rhythm Oil. Nelson
Keaton has played harmonica with the Chicago Kingsnakes, and Gene Kilty has
played with the Steepwater Band. The Posse's also got guitarists Johnny
"Butane" Johannes (The Rhythm Flames) and Dan Ferris (Freddie Cales and Jo Jo
and the Bluestrain). The Chicago Blues Posse play southside clubs and blues
jams around Chicagoland, but I'm hoping that this disc will help them get some
well-deserved regional and national attention. My favorites include the Posse's
version of Charlie Musselwhite's "Up & Down the Avenue" and Lowell Fulson's
"Little By Little."
RONNIE EARL: Ronnie Earl and Friends (Telarc)
For me, 2001 was a year of discovery. I discovered a guitarist that helped me
look at the blues in a new way. Until I heard Ronnie Earl and Friends, I had
thought that I had heard 'em all (or at least many of the finest blues
guitarists around). Ronnie Earl has had quite a career as a guitar slinger for
Roomful of Blues as well as frontman for Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters, as
well as a visiting artist at the prestigious Berklee College of Music. Ronnie's
also sat in with Legendary Blues Band members Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, Calvin
"Fuzz" Jones and Pinetop Perkins on a solo project called Eye to Eye five years
ago, and for my money, these sessions really show that Ronnie can play with the
best of them. Ronnie Earl and Friends celebrate a true blues talent, and
Ronnie's enlisted folks like Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson, drummer Levon Helm,
and blues diva Irma Thomas, among many other blues notables.
TOMMY CASTRO: Guilty of Love (33rd Street Records)
Last year, Tommy Castro's Live at the Fillmore on Blind Pig was in my top five
here at Cosmik Blues. His follow-up, and 33rd Street Records debut, is just as
strong, and this 11-song set really showcases Castro's own brand of muscular,
electric blues. If you like your blues a little tinged with rockabilly like I
do, check out "Shakin' The Hard Times Loose" or Tommy's cover of a song made
famous by Delbert McClinton, "Somebody to Love You." As I said on these screens
last year, Guilty of Love is one of the best blues releases of 2001, and
continues Tommy Castro's fine recording career as one of America's top
contemporary bluesmen. Turn up Tommy Castro's latest, it rocks.
THE HOODOO KINGS: Self-titled (Telarc)
When I first discovered The Hoodoo Kings last spring, I thought that Eddie Bo,
Raful Neal and Rockin' Tabby Thomas put together a real party in a CD case. I
still do. With every listen, I hear some of the best music that this trio of
Louisiana's musical royalty can offer. The tight rhythms of "Monkey Business"
and "Stumble and Fall" are great, swampy blues rockers, and the Big Easy twist
on Bob Dylan's "If I Don't Be There By Morning" updates this classic nicely.
While the Kings' princes certainly are getting their share of well-deserved
attention (just check out Chris Thomas King and Kenny Neal, for starters), I'm
glad Telarc has given The Hoodoo Kings center stage on this fine Louisiana blues
record.
KID RAMOS: Greasy Kid Stuff (Evidence)
There's a reason that Greasy Kid Stuff has been in my CD player a lot lately.
Kid Ramos took a big risk with his follow-up to West Coast House Party, also on
Evidence. This time out, he's recruited a "who's who" of harp players that help
the West Coast guitarist explore the best that Memphis and Chicago sound has to
offer. Last time, he featured a stellar line up of guest guitarists, and on
Greasy Kid Stuff, he's got harpmen extrordinaire Rod Piazza, Johnny Dyer, Rick
Estrin, James Harman, Paul De Lay, Charlie Musselwhite and Lynnwood Slim to
share the stage with his guitar. Kid Ramos may look like a throwback, pompadour
and all, but he's the real blues deal. Not only does he take the fat West
Coast guitar style to new levels in his work, but he's quite a competent blues
songwriter in his own right.
HONORABLE MENTION: My votes for Honorable Mention include Otis Taylor's
White
African (Northern
Blues), R. L. Burnside's live CD, Burnside on Burnside (Fat Possum), Delbert
McClinton's Nothing Personal (New West), and Rattlebag from Toronto's Paul
Reddick + The Sidemen (Northern Blues). Blind Pig and Alligator celebrated
their 25th and 30th birthdays, respectively, and each collection is a must-have
for the blues fan. Each twin CD set is priced as a single CD and breaks new
ground with CD-ROM video, such as a tasty live cut of Hound Dog Taylor and the
HouseRockers from Alligator and a selection of interviews and live clips from
Blind Pig artists.
Check out my favorite CDs from the broader music community in this issue's
flagship article on the top five CDs from the Cosmik Crew as well as my votes
for my top five books of 2001 in Everything Else in Review. I hope that you'll
join me in celebrating some great music, and until we celebrate St. Valentine's
Day next month, let's play the blues.
