The Blues Thread

T-Bone Walker - "T-Bone Blues" (1959)

T-Bone's debut album is a legendary release for the Texas electric blues scene but I have to admit that I find it to be a little flat. Much of this material is so faithful to the traditional blues model & I tend to find records that stick to the tried & tested blues structure to be a touch boring. I need a bit more edge than this to be honest, preferring a more consistently "deep" or rock-infused blues sound.

For fans of Freddie King, Albert King & Lightnin' Hopkins.

3/5

John Lee Hooker - "The Healer" (1989)

A heavily underrated electric blues album that's centered around collaborations with a number of other high-profile artists such as Carlos Santana, Bonnie Rait, Los Lobos & George Thoroughgood. Perhaps it makes for a more commercially accessible listen than most diehard blues fans would like but I really enjoy it nonetheless, particularly the really stripped back stuff like wonderful album highlight "My Dream".

For fans of Lightnin' Hopkins, Howlin' Wolf & Muddy Waters.

4/5

Gary Moore - "Blues for Greeny" (1995)

Our father got really into this Irish guitarist through his 1990 ninth album "Still Got the Blues" which was a huge commercial breakthrough for Moore who had spent the majority of his career in hard rock up until that point. That record was played on repeat around our house & in our car for many years & saw Dad also picking up this Peter Green (Fleetwood Mac/John Mayall's Bluesbreakers) covers album on cassette five years later. While it certainly wasn't as strong as "Still Got the Blues", Gary's one of the most talented blues guitarists I've ever heard so I've always maintained a soft spot for this release, even if it is a bit inconsistent in its appeal for this ol' shredhead. I tend to enjoy the more atmospheric & stripped back numbers over the groovier blues stompers but there's certainly enough to keep me interested here, even if I can't necessarily see myself returning to "Blues for Greeny" in the future.

For fans of Peter Green, Eric Clapton & Stevie Ray Vaughan.

3.5/5