Former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman has just released what is clearly a labor of love, specifically his love for American blues music – his Blues Odyssey on Document Records. Lest you fear yet another self-indulgent project featuring an old white rocker boogieing pathetically with a bunch of has-beens and never-wases, be warned that Wyman has instead constructed an aural history of the blues, with a fascinating 2-CD sampler of 46 vintage cuts, famous and obscure, starting with Mamie Smith’s “Goin’ Crazy With The Blues” and ending with Elmore James’ slide classic “Dust My Broom.” A companion to a two-hour documentary slated to air on Bravo and a 400-page hardbound book, Blues Odyssey is great fun. As Wyman explains in his introduction, “We can think about the blues, write about them and talk about them, but ultimately we all need to listen to them.” Amen, brother. Look for it in stores or visit www.document-records.com
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