Channeling American roots, country blues, and jazz traditions of the early 20th century, Pokey LaFarge and the South City Three’s newest recording is surely a most inspired 21st-century creation. Middle of Everywhere represents the latest addition to a growing eminence in contemporary American roots music, and LaFarge is definitely paving the way. He and his crew don’t just …
Kenny Wayne Shepherd’s reverence for his musical roots are center-stage on Ten Days Out…Blues From The Backroads, a CD+DVD package that features the guitarslinger and Double Trouble rhythm section of bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Chris Layton performing with some of the greatest blues players of our time as well as lesser-known but historically …
Inspired by early 20th Century juke joints, rent parties and road house dives, “Juke’n The Uke,” is an outstanding collection of 15 classic blues, rags, jug-band songs and hokum artfully arranged for finger-style ukulele. Highlights include a pair of obscure Hawaiian blues, the classic ballad “John Henry” played on bottle-neck ukulele, two gems transcribed from the immortal Mississippi …
Pianist George Winston salutes the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast on his new album, “Gulf Coast Blues & Impressions — A Hurricane Relief Benefit.” All proceeds will benefit various organizations providing relief to the region in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The 10-track set features material inspired by esteemed New Orleans pianists James Booker (“Pixie”), Professor Longhair, Henry Butler (“The …
The Carolina Chocolate Drops are as much about revelation as revival. On its Nonesuch debut, Genuine Negro Jig, the trio brings exuberance, humor, virtuosity and an infectious acoustic groove to its exploration of a near-forgotten brand of banjo-driven string-band music originating more than a century ago in the foothills of North Carolina, the Piedmont region where band members …
It’s hardly a state secret that the Rolling Stones started out as a blues cover band in 1962, and that the blues has always underpinned their long career, even as they flirted at different times with pop, disco, and reggae touches. The blues was always the touchstone, and this 22-track collection dips into some of the band’s obvious …
This classic re-release of an item deleted in 1997 features 19 blues recordings from Mississippi Delta bluesman Son House recorded in 1941-42. He’s on guitar & vocals, joined by Willie Brown, Fiddlin’ Joe Martin & Leory Williams. A portion of this was recorded at Klack’s Store, Lake Cormorant, Mississippi. You’ll hear occasional railway noises in the background, as …
Reality is proud to present the new Krokus 2-CD package with killer live performances of their biggest hits AND their latest album, Rock The Block (just released in the states). Krokus fans around the world have been anxiously waiting for this definitive Live Double Album recorded during their latest sold out European tour. This 20 song deluxe …
Inveterate record collector R. Crumb’s artwork for this 2-CD set includes the subtitle “The Dead Sea Scrolls of Record Collecting,” and indeed he and his henchmen at the Yazoo label have cooked up quite the collection for us unsuspecting consumers, consisting of 46 of the rarest and greatest blues and country sides from the ’20s and ’30s! Among …
