Some worthy blues-rock albums

kezkez
edited April 2011 in Blues
Today I received a CD I ordered:

51SM65H1SXL._SL500_AA300_.jpgRoll It Down by Ray Bonneville

Just had to post a quick note to rave a little about it (although I have only listened to half of it so far). Ray Bonneville became a favorite artist of mine when I downloaded the "Gust of Wind" album from emusic (still a favorite album of mine), so I knew this one would be good, and it sure is. Production is excellent - lots of tight separation of sound from the speakers. It's a very bluesy kind of CD. fRoots describes it as "a potent blues cocktail reminiscent of John Lee Hooker, JJ Cale...and Clapton." Sound samples here.

The CD credits on "Roll It Down" list Colin Linden as one of the producers, which reminds me that I had this album in my emusic SFL list, and after hearing the sound clips again, I've moved it up further to the top of the list for CDs to purchase:

300x300.jpgSad & Beautiful World (1975-1999) by Colin Linden

Album information here and emusic sound clips here.

Listening to this music makes me want to go dig out this CD and listen to it again - another really fantastic blues-rock album:

41VACHM4X2L._SL500_AA300_.jpgMore Storms Comin' by Mark Selby.

eMusic has Selby's CD, Nine Pound Hammer (or some similar title?), which is very good, but NONE of Selby's albums can touch 'More Storms Comin' (unfortunately not available on eMusic, even though it's on the Vanguard label). It is a true classic, IMO. I first discovered it when I was in a Hastings store at the time they were playing it. The track "Smoked" is what caught my attention and caused me to ask the guy working there what they were playing and where could I find it. He led me to the blues section, to which I said, "That's blues?" Well, yes, after listening to the whole album, it's definitely blues. I have very few CDs that equals the excellent production of this one. I was immediately impressed with the full superb sound of all the instruments and the vocals. The tracklist includes a variety of styles, and they are all just top-notch. This CD is very, very infectious. You need to play this one loud.

Amazon link where you can hear samples (although they probably won't do the CD justice) is here.

Now I've got to go finish listening to Bonneville, and then dig out that Selby CD.

Comments

  • kezkez
    edited April 2011
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    emusic link

    Was listening to this one on the way to work this morning. Still makes my desert island list.
  • Kez, I'm really enjoying all the threads you're adding; I don't comment much because they're all outside my regular listening habits; but that is part of what I like about them. Only problem is you're going to end up driving me back to emusic.
  • Well, I hope I don't drive myself back to emusic - it has become so irritating - but the grass does look greener from this side sometimes. The clock is ticking on my account hold.
  • 515ZVtgDIcL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

    Not so sure about the "jazz" part, but blues and fusion definitely. This was a $5 Amazon pick a month or two ago, now $5.99
  • edited April 2011
    tower_sessions.jpg

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    Aynsley Lister and Ian Parker are both young (ish) British blues guitarists. Both to some extent remind me of early Eric Clapton. Like many blues guitarists their live recordings show them at their best. Aynsley Lister's version of Purple Rain is, IMO, as good as if not better than Prince's origianl recording.

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    This is Ian Parker's latest release - he's playing live accoustic guitar without his band see http://www.emusic.com/album/Ian-Parker-The-Bare-Bones-MP3-Download/12502490.html
  • @Doofy - thanks for posting that live John Mayall. What a deal for $5. I missed out on that, but at the current $5.99, I plan to cash in on still a very good deal for some very good music.

    Speaking of the 'jazz' part of blues reminds me of this one I've had for several years, which really gets heavy into the jazz genre while still maintaining the 'bluesiness':

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    Amazon link

    emusic doesn't have that one, but they do have quite a few Robben Ford CDs, including "Talk to Your Daughter," "Soul on Ten" and "A Tribute to Paul Butterfield" (the latter two incorporating some jazz elements also), all of which are very, very good recordings. emusic link here.
  • @greg - Glad to hear about Aynsley Lister and Ian Parker. I will have to check out Lister, as I've never heard of him - but it is a coincidence that just earlier today I added this album to my wish list at Amazon:

    516-En6L4QL._SL500_AA280_.jpg]

    Do you have this one, and if so, what's your opinion?
  • @Kez - I like it, Ian Parker is not quite so bluesy as Aynsley Lister - more blues rock crossover. One or two of the tracks remind me of some of the quieter early rock Led Zeppelin recordings, elements of Eric Clapton there too. I haven't played it for a while - probably now next up!
  • @greg - thanks for the input, which is very helpful to me.
  • @Kez - now I am playing it- it sounds quite like mid period Eric Clapton - 1980s/early 1990s era - generally more laid back than straight blues. My earlier comments were from memory, not always 100% accurate! Elements of country blues there too on traack 4 currently playing!
  • @Greg - Okay! Sounds like something I will like.

    Thanks.
  • kezkez
    edited May 2011
    Going through my stack of old CDs I came across this one from 1995.
    510wEeV3BgL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

    It includes a track "Drawing Down the Moon" which at the time I thought was a fine example of blues rock. This song still holds up pretty well, I think, but I have been out of my Tea Party phase for a long time. Playing some of this album again doesn't have the same appeal to me now. At the height of my 'phase' though, Tea Party was about the only thing I listened to for months and months. When I first discovered them, I was completely amazed at their unique sound and all those strange instruments they played - mostly Eastern instruments, some of which I had never heard of. It was like I was listening to music with a new set of ears. My favorite track was "Sister Awake" - it has a surprising turn in it at about 2 minutes which thereafter sets the groove. Back in 1995, this album was voted as Best Rock Album in Canada. I was a bit surprised to see a recent review from February of 2011 still gave this one 5 stars. Just curious if anyone else is familiar with this one and what they think of it, mainly because at the time I was so into The Tea Party, I never ever came across anyone here in the U.S. who had ever heard of them.

    Review here

    Sound clips here
  • kezkez
    edited May 2011
    51xnkQ48YYL._SL500_AA300_.jpg]Grant Street by Sonny Landreth
    Amazon link

    I'm compiling another themed EP entitled "Places" and I included Sonny Landreth's 'Congo Square' on it. That got me to want to listen to that great song again, and I seem to have temporarily misplaced my South of I-10 CD. In the meantime, though, I noticed he had recorded this live "Grant Street" CD in 2005 which completely escaped my notice. I downloaded the live track of Congo Square and it's very good. But it is going to bug me until I find my South of I-10 CD.

    There actually are several CDs Landreth has come out with that I wasn't aware of.
    Discography here.
  • kezkez
    edited May 2011
    41BCSEYW1ZL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
    Amazon link

    This Mike Henderson guy, he is an amazing blues player (guitar, harmonica, upright bass). I came across this CD in a stack of some old disks I haven't played in a long time and it reminded me to post a message about this under-appreciated musician. A very nice, very good introduction to Mike Henderson is from this REVIEW containing lots of audio and video.

    This is getting off the subject of blues-rock, but I didn't know til I read in the above review that Mike has now formed a bluegrass group called The Steeldrivers (emusic link). Samples in the above review sound pretty impressive to me.
  • 51tCjSVSkJL._SL500_AA280_.jpgDust Bowl by Joe Bonamassa
    $8.99 on emusic but Guvera has it.

    Didn't realize Bonamassa released a new one in March. The samples sound great to me.
  • I think JB is the finest blues/rock guitar hero (in all the best senses of the term) of his generation, and not a bad singer to boot. I believe I have all his albums. New Day Yesterday, the first, is still probably my fave, but I like him live too - he really performs with conviction.
  • Yes BDB - his playing often reminds me of the John Mayall Bluesbreakers/Eric Clapton era - possibly the high point of the British Blues Boom. I'd love to see him live, but he is not often over here
  • kezkez
    edited September 2013
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    Dion may not be a name that comes to mind when thinking of the blues, but at 72 years old he came out with a new blues album called "Tankful of Blues" last year that is one of the best I've heard in a long time.

    (Yet another 2012 album that I discovered too late to put on my 'best-of' list last year!). Definitely worth checking out.

    EDIT: Okay, can someone please tell me why I can't get the image to appear here??

    EDIT: Huh - I see Dion has two previous blues albums - Bronx in Blues, and Son of Skip James. Samples of both sound very good. But Tankful of Blues is truly a standout, IMO.
  • Usually when that happens to me it's because I have inadvertently ended up with the "Format comments as" option just underneath the add comments dialog set to "text" instead of "BBCode".
  • @GP, yep - that did it. Got the image to show by following your suggestion. I don't know why, but it was set on text. Thanks!
  • 61qTulkIPQL._SL500_AA280_.jpg

    The Shovel vs. The Howling by Lincoln Durham*****

    I don't know how this album has been out for almost two years without me discovering it before now. I'm just glad I finally discovered Lincoln Durham, a new young bluesman that truly rocks. I streamed the entire album on Grooveshark, but there are probably other sites where you can hear it all.

    I'm telling you, If you like blues rock, you will be doing yourself a huge disservice if you don't listen to this! Really.

    I also just discovered that Lincoln Durham will release a brand new album on October 22 entitled "Exodus of the Deemed Unrighteous."
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