I find great blues absolutely mesmerizing.
Blues is a paradox on many levels. It is an art form of emotional expression, but playing it well requires discipline and clear intentionality. It’s structure is simple and predictable, but great blues artists plumb the depths of the human spirit, weaving tales of astonishing psychological complexity. They also use the basic structure to express complex musical ideas over a solid foundation.
Up to this point, I haven’t written nearly as many blues reviews as I would have liked, in part because my reading audience hasn’t seem interested. Of all the genres I cover, my blues reviews are the least read. Well, as much as it pains me to bore my readers, I’ve decided to say “screw that.”
Here are the blues reviews I’ve done so far—expect a lot more in the future:
- Ben Harper and Charlie Musselwhite– Get Up!
- John Lee Hooker – The Best of John Lee Hooker
- John Mayall – Blues Breakers with Eric Claptonby John Mayall
- John Mayall – The Turning Point
- Little Walter– His Best, The Chess 50th Anniversary Collection
- Memphis Minnie– Essential Recordings
- Muddy Waters– The Best of Muddy Waters
- Robert Johnson– The Complete Recordings
- Sonny Landreth – Grant Street
- The Allman Brothers Band– At Fillmore East
- The Electric Flag– A Long Time Comin’
