BlueTones
November 2001 By Bill Milkowski
I'll Be Your Mule
Delmark Records
Steeped in the Chicago tradition, Steve Freund worked with the likes of Sunnyland Slim, Big Walter Horton, Luther Allison, Koko Taylor and James Cotton before branching out on his own. On his second release as a leader, I'll Be Your Mule (Delmark 752; 65...
November 2001 By Bill Milkowski
Ronnie Earl and Friends
Telarc
Ronnie Earl, a hotshot guitarist who makes no pretense whatsoever about singing, is accompanied by some stellar voices on Ronnie Earl and Friends (Telarc 83537; 68:23). Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson contributes his husky pipes to tight renditions of Magic...
November 2001 By Bill Milkowski
Outside Looking In
Alligator Records
Electric slide guitarist Dave Hole wails with razor-sharp intensity on Outside Looking In (Alligator 4881; 50:09). What this Aussie blues vet lacks in pipes he makes up for in blistering, over-the-top bottleneck technique on originals like "Jenny Lee...
November 2001 By Bill Milkowski
Tell the Truth
Vanguard
Hole's American counterpart is Nashville-based slide guitar virtuoso Lee Roy Parnell. On his seventh recording as a leader, Tell the Truth (Vanguard 79589-2; 52:41), Parnell comfortably shifts from Memphis soul ("Right Where It Hurts," "Breaking Down Slow...
November 2001 By Bill Milkowski
Tired of Being Alone
Evidence Music
Rico McFarland, a longtime sideman to Chicago blues diva Big Time Sarah and Chicago blues harp legend James Cotton, steps out with his debut as a leader on Tired of Being Alone (Evidence 26113-2; 49:48). From the funk of "Bad Attitude" to the Memphis-style...
November 2001 By Bill Milkowski
Go the Distance
Ruf
Southern California guitar slinger Walter Trout makes no apologies for his obvious rock leanings on Go the Distance (RUF 1067; 63:10). From the first stinging notes on the opening boogie "Love So Deep," Trout goes straight for the jugular with heavy-metal...
November 2001 By Bill Milkowski
The Complete Vanguard Recordings and More!
Vanguard
The Siegel-Schwall Band, The Complete Vanguard Recordings & More! (Vanguard 190/92-2; 3CDs: 2 hrs.,51 mins.): Classic cuts from one of the great white blues bands that filtered out of Chicago in the mid-1960s. This three-CD set combines four original albums...
November 2001 By Bill Milkowski
Newport Folk Festival: Best of the Blues 1959-68
Vanguard
Newport Folk Festival: Best of the Blues, 1959-68 (Vanguard 193/95-2; 2 hrs., 53 mins.): This three-CD set documents some historic country-blues performances by the likes of Mississippi John Hurt, Skip James, Bukka White, Mississippi Fred McDowell and Mance...
September 2001 By Bill Milkowski
Here and Now
Ikon
With scorching guitar licks and menacing vocals, Ike Turner brings a nasty, swaggering edge to Here and Now (IKON/Bottled Majic 8850; 41:46), his first album of new music since 1978. From jumped-up shuffles like "Tore Up" and the instrumental "Ike's Theme...
September 2001 By Bill Milkowski
Boogie 'n' Shuffle
Stony Plain
The extroverted Chicago harmonica legend and great songwriter Billy Boy Arnold blows with typical exuberance while singing with down-home good humor on Boogie 'n' Shuffle (Stony Plain 1266; 66:10). Produced by Duke Robillard, who also leads Billy Boy's crack...
