Not a bad little side project from actor/musician John Lurie – who's working here under the guise of a mysterious blues musician! That gimmick is maybe the worst part of the record – as the music is clearly new, and hardly classic blues at all – but if you can get past it, the record's actually got a heck of a lot of charm in a Tom Waits sort of way – and makes us wish that Lurie had done even more material like this, maybe even under his own name – which would only push his strong personal even further into the music. The album features work from Evan Lurie, Marc Ribot, and John Medeski – and titles include "Wanna Wanna", "I'm A Doggy", "Small Car", "Runnin Round", and "Arms & Legs". (Rock, Blues) CD

A wicked reinvention of the sound of Bo Diddley – a set that electrifies his groove even more than before – and takes him into the same mix of funk and blues that Muddy Waters and Howlin Wolf were exploring at the time! This album's right up there with the two Cadet/Chess classics by both of those artists – and is possibly even more messed-up too – with lots of jagged edges that push past the usual Bo Diddley groove – even though that classic sense of rhythm is still at the core to drive things along! We don't know who's playing drums, but they've got a nice heavy handed approach that makes these tracks really boom – and the set's in a massively funky style that's taken far too many years to be acknowledged for in the mainstream! Lots of nice ones, including "Shut Up Woman", "Funky Fly", "Power House", "Black Soul", "Elephant Man", and "I've Got A Feeling". CD

Key work from Blind Willie Johnson – a singer who only recorded for a few short years, but who left behind a tremendous legacy of music! Willie's got this unusual froggy style of singing that's unlike anyone else we've heard – except for maybe Clarence Henry – and it mixes wonderfully with his spare guitar lines, and soars out over the top once he gets going – which means a special push on the lyrics to lift up the vocals – almost a gospel sort of inflection, which is no surprise given the subject matter of some of the tunes. Titles include "The Soul Of Man", "Sweeter As The Years Go By", "Go With Me To The Land", "If I Had My Way I'd Tear The Building Down", "John The Revelator", and "You'll Need Somebody On Your Bond". CD

One of Jimmy Rushing's last truly great albums – a jazz-tinged session of bluesy material, one that gets at his best work of the 50s! The arrangements are by Al Cohn, and have a fluid swing that pushes Jimmy past cliche – working with players that include Zoot Sims, Budd Johnson, Freddie Green, and Gene Quill in a style that's got all the leaner touches of the Basie band at the same time. Titles include "Heartaches", "Please Come Back", "My Bucket's Got a Hole In it", "Did You Ever", and "Just Because". (Vocalists, Blues) CD