The Jazz.com Blog
December 24, 2008 · 1 comment
The Best Blues CDs of 2008
I recently published here my choices for the best jazz CDs and world music CDs of 2008. Below is my last list of the year, and I checked it twice: the best blues CDs of 2008.
For each selection below, listed in no particular order, you will find a link to my review of one of the more noteworthy tracks on the CD. These reviews include full personnel and other information about the release, as well as another link to a (legal) source for downloading.
B.B. King: One Kind Favor
Featured track: “See That My Grave is Kept Clean”
Billy Boy Arnold: Billy Boy Sings Sonny Boy
Featured track: “Decoration Day”
North Mississippi Allstars: Hernando
Featured track: “I’d Love to Be a Hippy”
Various Artists: M for Mississippi
Featured track: T-Model Ford: "Hip Shakin’ Woman”
Cedric Burnside & Lightnin’ Malcolm: 2 Man Wrecking Crew
Featured track: “R.L. Burnside”
Chuck Bernstein: Delta Berimbau Blues
Featured track: “Delta Berimbau Blues”
Otis Taylor: Recapturing the Banjo
Featured track: “Absinthe”
The Mannish Boys: Lowdown Feelin’
Featured track: ”Searchin’ Blues”
Eric Bibb Get Onboard
Featured track: “New Beale Street Blues”
Janiva Magness: What Love Will Do
Featured track: “One Heartache Too Late”
And here are five honorable mentions:
Taj Mahal: Maestro
Featured track: “Zanzibar”
MOTU & The RoadHouse Jesters No Refunds / No Exchanges
Featured track: “Here Come Those Blues Again”
Kenny Neal: Let Life Flow
Featured track: “Louisiana Stew”
John Lee Hooker, Jr.: All Odds Against Me
Featured track: “Dear John”
Sonny Landreth: From the Reach
Featured track: “When I Still Had You”
This blog article posted by Ted Gioia.
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I like what you have here! But I have to include Buddy Guy's Skin Deep on my list as well! Buddy has some especially smokin' guitar work on a couple of tracks, and (for my taste at least) his collaborations with guests were solid tracks and not just a "new-celeb-to-boost-sales genre of gimmick. BTW, Ted -- I got your "Delta Blues" book as gift this Christmas and really enjoyed it. Learned a a lot, and appreciated the in depth work to sort out various stories from previous published works, urban myths and claims. Good work — and good reading!