GRAMMYS For Christmas?

This month, I'm going to try something different here at Cosmik Blues in honor of the holiday season. I'm going to peek into my crystal ball and predict the 2004 blues GRAMMYs, and look around the corner to 2004. I'll also close with a little tease about my list of top five blues CDs in anticipation of next month's Top Five extravaganza on these Cosmik Debris' screens.

Last month, I waited with bated breath for the 2004 GRAMMY nominations in the Best Contemporary Blues Album and Best Traditional Blues Album categories. While some of my main bluesmen are noticeably absent from this year's GRAMMY lists, I remain hopeful that the folks behind the W.C. Handy Awards in Memphis will recognize folks like Tab Benoit for his excellent Sea Saint Sessions (Telarc) or the remixed Muddy "Mississippi" Waters Live (Epic Legacy). Tab's CD continues his great ride at Telarc, and Steady Rollin' Bob Margolin, one of Muddy's long-time guitar players and a first-class writer in his own right, reviews for us what it was like to play those songs with Muddy. Each of these 2003 releases are excellent additions to your blues shelf.

I'll step right on out on a blues limb right now and hope that Kim Wilson, Sonny Landreth, Bonnie Raitt, and Martin Scorsese all celebrate their well-deserved GRAMMY recognition by taking home the hardware at the Los Angeles Convention Center on February 8, 2004. No matter what holiday these artists celebrate, I'm hoping that their 2004 holiday season will include a new GRAMMY in their studio.

Kim Wilson's Lookin' for Trouble (MC Records) is a strong contender for the GRAMMY for the Best Traditional Blues Album. I'm a big fan of Kim's big fat tone on his harp, and this CD features a mixture of blues styles such as swing and the classic post-war urban blues of the title cut. Other artists nominated in this category are Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater, Buddy Guy, Jay McShann, and Roomful of Blues. While it's a diverse and outstanding line-up keeping the Traditional Blues flame burning, the former Fabulous Thunderbird gets my vote.

The Best Contemporary Blues Album also has a strong field, with Marcia Ball's So Many Rivers (Alligator), Etta James' Let's Roll (Private Music), Sonny Landreth's The Road We're On (Sugar Hill), Howard Tate's Rediscovered (Private Music), and Susan Tedeschi's Wait for Me (Tone Cool/Artemis). To me, this list is unfair, 'cause a dream line-up for me would be Sonny and Susan sharing the same stage. At the very least, I can put their excellent 2003 CDs back to back in my CD player. After much soul searching, my nod goes to Sonny Landreth, although Susan Tedeschi's disc is a mighty fine release. In 2002, Landreth's Levee Town was nominated for the recording package/artwork from art director Megan Barra, but next year, I hope his music earns him the trophy.

This year, Bonnie Raitt is up against folks like Avril Lavigne, Pink, Michelle Branch and Lucinda Williams in the Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. If I were a voting member of the academy, I'd vote for Bonnie, because she continues to have some of the most versatile pipes in the business. On "Time of Our Lives," Bonnie shines from her excellent Silver Lining (Capitol) CD. For me, a close second is Lucinda Williams, and the others nominated in this rock category can learn the blues from these two very talented blues women.

Finally, I'm always intrigued by the Album Notes category, and I hope that Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues: A Musical Journey (Hip-O) wins for Tom Piazza's writing.

This past year has been an excellent year for the blues, but I'm looking forward to discovering some new artists and new releases in 2004. I've heard a couple of choice cuts from Chicago-area blueswoman Nora Jean Brusso, and she's a likely heir to Koko Taylor's blues throne. Next year, Telarc will open the Whiskey Store live with Jimmy Thackery and Tab Benoit, and I hope we'll have new releases from Chicago blues legend Jody Williams as well as up and coming bluesmen The Steepwater Band.

Next month, I'll review my top-five list of my favorite blues releases of 2003. I hope that Cosmik Blues readers will be pleasantly surprised at my selections that range from some tried and true bluesmen to some younger players that keep the blues flame burning brightly.

Before I pull the cork on 2003, I have one correction for my review of Ellis Hooks' Up Your Mind (Evidence) CD last month. Thanks to producer Jon Tiven for pointing out that Ellis' first album was titled Undeniable (I erroneously titled it Brand New Man, but that was Freddie Scott's UK release). Ellis Hooks new CD, The Hand of God, is scheduled for release for March 2004. If it's anything like Up Your Mind, it'll be a guitar-driven record that showcases a promising young guitar slinger.

Happy Blues Holidays to you and yours, and please check in next month to see some of my favorite blues releases of 2003.

© 2004 - Eric Steiner