One of the earliest albums on Arhoolie Records – an amazing document of steel guitar bluesman Black Ace! Ace plays just like he sits on the cover – really leaning into the instrument in ways that bring out all these cool, deep inflections – completely hypnotizing on their own, with almost an unworldly feel at points – and accompanied by vocals on most tracks. Titles include "Drink On Little Girl", "Bad Times Stomp", "Farther Along", "Evil Woman", "Fore Day Creep", "Little Augie", and "Golden Slipper". CD also features a stunning 11 bonus tracks – including "Ace's Guitar Breakdown", "Beer Drinking Woman", "Hitch Hiking Woman", "Lowing Heifer", "Christmas Time Blues", and "Whiskey & Women". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

Damn great work from Albert Collins – one of those hard-edged gems from the early days that's a lot more funk than his later blues! Sure, there's still plenty of blues here – but the rhythms are pretty funky too, and the album's got some great raw production from Bill Hall – free from any of the blues cliches that were creeping into other artists work from mainstream attention – and still cooked up with a really gritty edge overall! Titles include the funky monsters "Doin My Thing" and "Do The Sissy" – plus "Collins Mix", "Trunin On", "Stump Poker", "Let's Get It Together Again", and "Left Overs". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic early work from Rene Hall – a talent you've probably heard on record before in a variety of different formats – as Hall was a key arranger, producer, and session musician on the LA scene of the 50s and 60s! Yet here, Rene's also the leader – stepping out in small combo modes on a host of rare singles, both 78s and 45s – starting out in a mode that echoes some of the best jump blues/instrumental R&B styles coming out of LA in the postwar years – then moving into styles that are more rocking and early soul as the 50s move on! Hall plays guitar throughout, and other musicians include Plas Johnson and Buddy Tate on tenors, Ernie Freeman on piano, and Earl Palmer on drums – and the set features a whopping 29 tracks in all, including "My Uncle", "Bitter Winds", "Voodoo Moon", "Blue Creek Hop", "Chitling Switch", "The Parrot & The Rooster", "Southgate", "Cleo", "Thunderbird", "That's It", "The Untouchables", "Night Fright", and the fuzz guitar monster "Twitchy" – worth the price of the CD alone! (Soul, Blues) CD

Plenty of blues power here – a searing live set recorded by Albert King before a very enthusiastic crowd at the Fillmore in the late 60s! The album's filled with lots of King's sharp-edged guitar lines – searing with a bit more soul than your usual bluesman, possibly in part because the backing group's so tight! At times, there's almost a bit of funk in the mix – given that the rhythm section romps it up pretty strongly – and the record stands nicely apart from some of the blues cliches that were creeping into the mix at the time. Titles include the 10 minute workout "Blues Power" – plus "Watermelon Man", "Night Stomp", "Blues At Sunrise", "Please Love Me", and "Look Out". CD

Rough-edged blues from the west side of Chicago – a stone classic from the mighty Magic Sam – a player who was taken from us all too soon! On the west side, they mix plenty of soul in with their blues – and you can definitely hear that on this stone smoker – a record that has roots in the same scene as Syl Johnson, whose modes definitely creep into the groove at times! Sam's combo here is mighty nice – with Eddie Shaw on tenor, Lafayette Leake on piano, and Mighty Joe Young on guitar – and titles include "Stop You're Hurting Me", "Easy Baby", "What Have I Done Wrong", "It's All Your Fault", "You Belong To Me", "You Don't Love Me Baby", and "San Jose". CD

A trio of Warner Brothers albums from Taj Mahal – all served up as a single collection! First up is Brothers – one of the better records that Taj Mahal cut during in the later 70s – probably because it was a soundtrack, and pushed the groove into some interesting places – with Taj's gruff vocals working over some Caribbean rhythms and modern blues, and more smoothed out moments! The latter moments actually creep near or even cross over the line into kind of a fusiony soul feel, with the tightly thumping electric bass and rolling sax, but Taj keeps the overall vibe as uncommonly diverse as his other records for Columbia. Tracks include "Malcolm's Song", "David & Angela", "Night Rider", "Brother's Doin Time", "Free The Brothers", "Love Theme In The Key Of D", and "Funky Butt". Music Fuh Ya is a sweetly soulful set that has Taj Mahal really trying on some new flavors – yet still keeping things strongly in the bluesy territory of his roots! In addition to the lead vocals and lots of acoustic guitar, the set also features key contributions from Rudy Costa on a range of saxes, plus flute and kalimba too – plus other unusual elements that include steel drums, timbales, and banjo – all of which inflect different moments with freshly playful sounds, and a surprisingly Caribbean vibe at times. Titles include "You Got It", "Sailin", "Truck Driver's Two Step", "Curry", and "The Four Mills Brothers". Evolution is a well-titled set – given that the record really shows an evolution in the style of Taj Mahal! Some cuts are still in an older bluesy mode, but a few others feature some great backings from Leon Pendarvis – who creates this fuller, soaring sort of style that takes off with plenty of power! The approach is a great way to use Taj's vocals in a richer 70s soul setting – and those cuts are balanced by some more stripped-down numbers that include a few that follow in the recent Mahal use of steel drums. Titles include "Sing A Happy Song", "Lowdown Showdown", "Why You Do Me This Way", "Highnite", and "Salsa De Laventille". CD

A trio of albums from Taj Mahal – and some unreleased live tracks as well! First up is Music Fuh Yah – a sweetly soulful set that has Taj Mahal really trying on some new flavors – yet still keeping things strongly in the bluesy territory of his roots! In addition to the lead vocals and lots of acoustic guitar, the set also features key contributions from Rudy Costa on a range of saxes, plus flute and kalimba too – plus other unusual elements that include steel drums, timbales, and banjo – all of which inflect different moments with freshly playful sounds, and a surprisingly Caribbean vibe at times. Titles include "You Got It", "Sailin", "Truck Driver's Two Step", "Curry", and "The Four Mills Brothers". Brothers is one of the better records that Taj Mahal cut during in the later 70s – probably because it was a soundtrack, and pushed the groove into some interesting places – with Taj's gruff vocals working over some Caribbean rhythms and modern blues, and more smoothed out moments! The latter moments actually creep near or even cross over the line into kind of a fusiony soul feel, with the tightly thumping electric bass and rolling sax, but Taj keeps the overall vibe as uncommonly diverse as his other records for Columbia. Tracks include "Malcolm's Song", "David & Angela", "Night Rider", "Brother's Doin Time", "Free The Brothers", "Love Theme In The Key Of D", and "Funky Butt". Evolution is a well-titled set – given that the record really shows an evolution in the style of Taj Mahal! Some cuts are still in an older bluesy mode, but a few others feature some great backings from Leon Pendarvis – who creates this fuller, soaring sort of style that takes off with plenty of power! The approach is a great way to use Taj's vocals in a richer 70s soul setting – and those cuts are balanced by some more stripped-down numbers that include a few that follow in the recent Mahal use of steel drums. Titles include "Sing A Happy Song", "Lowdown Showdown", "Why You Do Me This Way", "Highnite", and "Salsa De Laventille". 2CD set also features 7 bonus live tracks recorded in Chicago in 1977 – but not issued at the time! CD