Amazon.com

Superbly packaged and lovingly annotated, the five-discArhoolie Records 40th Anniversary Collection distills four decades of musical passion into six hours of highlights. The passion is that of Arhoolie founder Chris Strachwitz, a German immigrant and former California schoolteacher whose label reflects a devotion to American roots music at its most vital and varied. Southern bluesmen Mance Lipscomb and Fred McDowell, Louisiana zydeco kingpin Clifton Chenier, and Tex-Mex conjunto accordionist Flaco Jimenez are just a few of the regional mainstays to achieve national renown through Arhoolie, and all of them are represented here.

The spirited diversity of the 105 selections (including 13 available on CD for the first time) finds the label extending its reach from string-band country (Hackberry Ramblers) to hard-driving jazz (Jerry Hahn Quintet) to New Orleans brass bands to more recent forays into "sacred steel," featuring gospel music with pedal-steel guitar. Where so many folk preservations might as well be embalming musical relics, Arhoolie champions "vernacular music": music that retains a strong, integral connection to its community and gets people clapping, stomping, and dancing. Throughout the set, the immediacy of the performances transcends trendiness or timeliness, showing how America sounds beyond the plasticity of popular culture. --Don McLeese ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Great set and great value for money
This is a truly wondrful set that works on every level.

Beautifully presented with a very informative book and five high quality CD's.

The sound quality is superb as are all the production values.

The mixture of world music, old-time music and American regional sounds, as repesented in the output of Arhoolie Records, works extremely well here.

I found my self playing all 5 CD's one after the other without strain and enjoying them all.

Once having heard many of the artists for te first time the search wil then commence for solo albums if they exist, and they probably do in most cases.

If this were a "Bear Family" set there would certainly be another $... on the askng price.

If you are already a fan of this type of musci or are looking to explore it furter this really is THE set to buy as a starting point.

All the tracks are strong and there is no "padding" at all.

Combine this with a quite outstanding book giving full details on the artists and the history of Arhoolie and this is a set that will be cherished for years to come and played with great regularity.

Highly recommended.

A Treasury of Obscurities
I wasn't sure how I was going to like this box set when I bought it because I had never heard of most of the artists. When I first obtained it, I listened through once then put it on the shelf. On a recent road trip, I decided to put all 5 CDs in my CD changer to listen to in sequence and lemme tell you, am I ever glad to have done so.
The Journey of Chris Strachwitz is a musical journey through parts of America most of us never see or hear. There is Cajun, Zydeco, country, Tejano, blues, gospel and more. There is not the polished, overproduced kind of music one often hears on the radio, but rather the raw authenticity of music being played straight from the heart. Most of these musicians have made very little money in the business and are forced to do other work in order to make ends meet. Its a shame because just the small sampling here shows me that most of these artists have more talent than an army of top-40 schlocksters like Backstreet Boys and Madonna.
I am not equally enthusiastic about every song, but I was introduced to many performers from whom I want to hear more. Its hard to choose favorites, but I was impressed with Mance Lipscomb, the Reverend Louis Overstreet, Lydia Mendoza, Valerio Longoria, Omar Sharriff, Chatuye, The Campbell Brothers, and Aubrey Ghent in addition to more familiar performers like Clifton Chenier, Charlie Musselwhite, and any of the Jimenez clan. The worst song on the album is more pleasurable listening than most of the vapid pap served up on commercial radio.
With the CDs comes an informative booklet, filled with photos and stories of the performers and the sometimes serendipitous ways that Strachwitz hooked up with them.
If your musical taste runs the gamut, you should like this fairly priced box set. Chris Strachwitz did American music a tremendous turn when he set out to capture the sound of the folk before it was lost to us forever. I give this treasury of obscurities my heartiest recommendation. You won't be sorry you bought this!

a real summer journey
This is a really strong collection of hard to find artists that will appeal to anyone interested in the history of American music and culture. The blues is incredible. The cajun and zydeco numbers are unbeatable. Same is true of bluegrass, texmex, gospel. Where did rock get its start? Forget the name artists who've received all the accolades, these are the artists that influenced the names. The real deal - presented in its raw format as much as possible. Despite 5 CDs of material, weak tracks are hard to find.

an absolute must have
I could not agree more with the previous reviewer. This box set is perhaps the finest collection of American roots music, and much, much more, on the market today. Chris Strachwitz deserves our gratitude for bringing us forty years of top quality music, and for distilling his recordings down to this package, which could not possibly be better. Turn off your radio and turn on this goldmine of treasures from four decades of one man's undying love for the music that made this country great. Worth every penny, even at twice the price.

American Music 101
If you're looking for a place to go to get a comprehensive lesson in the finest in American roots music spanning blues, cajun/zydeco, gospel, bluegrass, tex/mex/conjunto, barrelhouse rock'n'roll, etc, look no further than this amazing collection. Intended as a "scrapbook" of label owner Chris Strachwitz's 40 year journey traveling across the hinterlands collecting and annotating the mostly obscure(though not all) raw sounds that he has had the pleasure of offering to us, the listening public, through Arhoolie. I like to think of it as a nice side companion to the Harry Smith collections. Including an amazing thick photo/essay book that makes this worth the price alone, this is as important release to serious music lovers as the recent Louis Armstrong box. WORTH EVERY PENNY! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent CD
I got this CD coincidentally a few years ago when I lent it from the library. I was a bluesfan for years already but only knew the big names like BB King etc. This album showed me there's a lot more. Since I heard this CD and knew the names of the people/band playing on it my horizon broadened. It set me to buying CD's of James Harman and that led me to Hollywood Fats, James Clarke etc. This CD is great studymaterial for guitarplyers also! This afternoon I listened to the CD again and enjoyed the incredible guitarplaying of Mike Morgan. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Guitar blues at it's best.
This is a must have for anyone with a love of the blues and the guitar artist who made it great. The last track on the CD is a live recording of Texas Flood by S. R. Vaugn, the best live track of his I have ever heard. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Superb sound quality and sheer entertainment value make this a series by which other musical retrospectives should be measured. Over four discs (available individually as well as in this limited-edition set), the expansive selection of blues-based music from the RCA-Bluebird vaults celebrates artistry that still sounds vital 50 years after it was recorded. Among the highlights are such seminal recordings as "Catfish Blues" by Robert Petway (which Muddy Waters would transform into "Rolling Stone"), "Canned Heat Blues" by Tommy Johnson, "Sweet Little Angel" by Tampa Red (later a signature tune for B.B. King), and "That's All Right" by Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup (which ignited a rock & roll revolution in Elvis Presley's hands). Every cut seems to have been chosen with care, and some of the more obscure rank with the greatest delights: "Memphis" Minnie McCoy's "Selling My Pork Chops" and Washboard Sam's "Soap and Water Blues." As a blues anthology that surveys the roots of rock & roll, the set omits many of the biggest names (who recorded for other labels) and goes lightly on the 12-bar, guitar-driven style that flourished in Chicago after World War II. Yet the variety and vigor of the offerings should strike a responsive chord with casual fan and blues aficionado alike. --Don McLeese ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Some People Are Stupid - REALLY STUPID
This review is a direct response to the person who has given it a solitary star. Well I fit into the category of people who "dont know better"

This is the best sounding remastering I have EVER heard. The only things that I can think of that compare are Old Hat CDs (how they got some of the sounds on the Basement CD I dont know), JSPs Carter Family & Jimmmie Rodgers box sets, or many many items that Bear Family have been responsible for. I would like to hear Ace have a go remastering stuff from the dawn of recordings - but mostly their releases pick up (date-wise) just about where this stuff stops.

As for Document - well, I rate them VERY highly and buy their stuff and enjoy it - BUT THEY DONT SOUND BETTER THAN THESE. It just isnt the case.

I was astonished when I first heard the quality of the remastering on this set. Add to that the incredible sound they have got on the Sonny Boy Williamson's and Leadbelly's "Secret Histort" discs. I havent yet heard the Blind Willie McTell one.

How anyone can say that this isnt the way this stuff is supposed to sound is beyond me. And its all been done without taking away ANYTHING from the integrity of the recordings.

Have a listen and make your own mind up.

The bloke who reviewed this and gave it only 1 star should go back to his medium wave radio.

Fine retrospective for the devoted blues fan
"The Secret History Of Rock And Roll" brings together a hundred original blues classics on four discs.
This series is designed to shine a light on the roots of rock & roll music, and the remastering of these many 70-year-old tracks sounds surprisingly good.

Among the instantly recognizable tunes, many of which were covered in one form or another by rock bands of the '60s and '70s are Big Joe Williams' "Baby, Please Don't Go", "Walk Right In" by Gus Cannon's Jug Stompers, Huddie Ledbetter's "The Midniht Special", "Statesboro Blues" by Blind Willie McTell, "Good Morning School Girl" by Sonny Boy Williamson, "Canned Heat Blues" by Tommy Johnson, and Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup's "That's All Right" and "My Baby Left Me".

This is not really for the casual blues fan, and it isn't supposed to be listened to in one long sitting...even this fine and influential music is not varied enough for that. But if you are seriously interested in early acoustic blues, and its influence on 50s and 60s rock n' roll, this collection ranks among the best.

Great Music + Bad Transfers = SOUNDS TERRIBLE!!!
I keep hearing how great these sound. No disrespect, but people who say this sounds so great don't know what real 78 transfers are supposed to sound like. And that is exactly who these discs are marketed at, the people who don't know the music all that well and will buy bad transfers. I implore you, save your money and spend it on Document Records discs.
Document's sound quality is a million times better than these transfers! Take my advice, if you want inferior transfers, by all means buy this album. If you want this music to sound the way it is supposed to sound, buy Document and keep real blues music alive!

Excellent Overview of the Blues!
The Secret History of Rock and Roll is 100 pioneering blue classics on four compact discs available either separately or as a set. Disc 1 contains some early roots music and is made up of country jug bands, some gospel, a little bluegrass and some vaudeville. Disc 1 features some rare recordings from Gus Cannon's Jug Stompers, the Hall Johnson Choir and Julius Daniels to name but three of the 25 represented here. Disc 2 features the earliest known recordings of the best known blues songs such as Noah Lewis' jug standard "Viola Lee Blues" later performed by the Grateful Dead and Sleepy John Estes' "The Girl I Love" which is familiar to all Led Zeppelin fans. Disc 3 brings into focus some material performed by the first generation of blue's stars including, Sonny Boy Williamson, Yank Rachell, Pinetop Perkins and Roosevelt Sykes. Disc 4 represents the sound of the blues post World War II with more of an electric, uptempo, beat. Overall, the recordings are excellently remastered and the set represents a really good overview of the historical development of the blues. Mainly for those interested in the history of the blues.

Can you believe the music is over 70 years old?!?!
I can't believe the recordings were remastered from over 70 years ago. The sound quality on this 4 disc set is great. There are so many songs on this that I had no idea weren't originals to the stars that made them famous, like "That's All Right" and "My Baby Left Me" (both familiar as Elvis tunes).

Really clever liner notes too; they're written after each track so you can literally follow along as you're listening to learn about the music. Cool gift idea for my Dad who's impossible to shop for! ... Read more

Album Description

It’s been said that Memphis is mentioned in more song titles than any other city. On In The Mood For Memphis you’ll hear a diverse musical testimonial from some of Memphis’ most dynamic voices.For the first time ever, a CD has been compiled celebrating the rock and blues Mecca of the world with 16 songs, each with Memphis in the title.From the mainstream "Walking In Memphis" performed by Eddie Harrison to the underground sounds of Mud Boy & the Neutrons’ "Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again," In The Mood For Memphis is filled with soul-pleasing, groove-controlling, guaranteed satisfaction.

Powerful and charismatic singers Gary Johns and Susan Marshall each perform different versions of the title track.Don McMinn’s funky "Memphis In May" sets the mood for an exquisite rendition of "Memphis In June" by jazz diva Joyce Cobb.With Delbert McClinton on harmonica, Dan Penn’s "Memphis Women and Chicken" is smooth, Southern and irresistible.You’ll also hear Holly Shelton’s sultry interpretation of W.C. Handy’s "Memphis Blues" (followed by a haunting instrumental with The W.C. Handy Preservation Band).Songwriter Bob Cheevers adds his irresistible "Memphis Till Monday" exclaiming the virtues of good ole Memphis barbecue and fun.Gusto jumps in with a lively version of Lyle Lovett’s "I’ve Been To Memphis." Other highlights include Daddy Mack Orr and Billy Gibson on the Chuck Berry/Johnny Rivers classic "Memphis," the soulful sounds of the Memphis All-Stars on their feel-good original "Lovely Memphis Day," and The McCarty-Hite Project’s "Memphis Town." Cult rockers The Delta Queens include their raw, but fiercely independent "Memphis (Highway 72)," as the almost final track.

Patrick Dodd concludes the CD in a reflective tone with "Memphis Keeps Rolling On," a gospel-tinged pop ballad that examines the struggles and triumphs of Memphis and its legacy.

Since 1992, Inside Sounds has focused on producing the best of Memphis, from blues to alternative rock, and is the parent company of the critically acclaimed Memphis Archives label. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Memphis moods
16 songs of and about Memphis - in fact, Memphis is in the title of each and every song.
I was a wary of this album at first but the more I thought about it, the more I understood it. Memphis' diverse musical situation needs to be celebrated and Dattel has compiled a carefully conceived and varied selection here.

Some songs will be recognized, some won't. Some were done in Memphis (most of them) and some in other places. Some songs are old, some songs are new, but for the most part it's a blues album, and since it's from Memphis, even the weak cuts are strong.

Susan Marshall's "In the Mood for Memphis" begins the album and seven songs later, we hear vocalist Gary Johns' version of the same song. Longtime player Don McMinn tells about "Memphis in May" and Joyce Cobb tells us all about "Memphis in June" in her unique.

Two songs jumped out at me and made the album worth the time - Jim Dickinson's Mud Boy and the Neutrons hammering out his friend Bob Dylan's "Stuck Inside of Mobile (With the Memphis Blues Again). " It's done with verve and vigor and I've always liked Jim's voice.

Eddie Harrison's version of "Walking in Memphis" is the best version of that Grammy-winning song I've ever heard. I remember seeing and hearing Eddie Harrison and the ShortCuts 35 years ago and thought they were great, and he's an even better singer now.
From beginning to end, the musicianship quality is top-notch and Dattel and company have an excellent CD here. If you're already from Memphis, go get this CD and celebrate your town. If you're not from Memphis, come on down! There's magic here. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

DON'T BE A DUMMY!!!!!!
Don't be a dummy. Any fool knows the brothers Chess, Leonard and what's his name virtually wrote the book when it comes to Chicago Blues. It's a no brainer. Now I ask you, where else do you find a more classic lineup of stars? From Muddy to Wolf, from Little Milton to Buddy Guy, John Lee to JB, (Lenoir that is) And let's not forget Willie Dixon and Bo Diddley and so many more.

And what about the songs from Hi Heel Sneekers to Mona, to Suzie Q to I Just Want To Make Love To You.......to Sweet Little Sixteen to Trouble No More..........Well you know the rest. Afterall the title of the record is Blues-Rock Songbook......That says it all....So don't be a dummy...All right?

A great starting kit for the curious
This double-disc duplicates some of the track lists from "Chess Blues Classics 1947-1956" and "Chess Blues Classics 1957-1967", cutting some songs and adding others, particularly four songs by rock n' roll pioneer (and non-bluesman) Chuck Berry.

These CDs are of no interest whatsoever to the more experienced blues or R&B fan (no rarities), and the presence of a handful of early rock n' roll cuts amid all these blues classics is a little odd. But if you're a newcomer to the blues, or Chess Records in general, this album is a very fine place to start, since it gathers some excellent selections by Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Elmore James, Sonny Boy Williamson II and others.

Jimmy Rogers' classic "Walking By Myself" is here, complete with a howling harp solo by Big Walter Horton, and other highlights (of which there are too many to mention all of them) include Eddie Boyd's slow, soulful "Twenty-Four Hours", Muddy Waters' "Hoochie Coochie Man", "Mother Earth" by Memphis Slim, and two of Howlin' Wolf's best songs (and two of the best electric blues tunes ever), "The Red Rooster", and the thundering steam engine "Killing Floor".

4 1/2 stars. A great place to start appreciating the huge Chess legacy.

Absolutely essential for any CD collection
Anyone who knows the blues, knows rock, and knows R&B, needs this album! The liner notes say these two CDs could easily have been four, and I wholeheartedly agree! The tunes drift, casually, from blues, to rock, to R&B, and somewhere in the middle of all his music the listener finally "gets" how rock 'n' roll came to be. The sound quality is great. (Except for my track 4 on CD 1 of Sugar Mama, by John Lee Hooker, which was scratched, sadly.) Still, the music flows, deep, dark, and you can see the allure this music held for Clapton, Led Zeppelin, Savoy Brown and the many others who used this music as a jumping off spot for what emerged as middle-class rock in the '70s. Especially noteworthy on these two CDs are the phenomenal contributions made by Willie Dixon (the great bass-playing songwriter!), Muddy Waters and Chuck Berry. That's not to negate the other contributions, by any means. Not a weak track is among the 36 on this 2-CD collection! But listening to Muddy, John Lee, Chuck Berry and others, I am just blown away how MUCH of the music of the '60s and '70s is indebted to these musical giants, many of whom are sadly forgotten. There are a lot of blues-rock compilations out there, but this one stands far and above the others in terms of overall sonic quality, and in the selection of absolutely essential tunes. One of the sadly overlooked GREAT CDs of the '90s! Worth more than five stars...

....and people get snooty over "classic" rock!
Most fans of classic rock forget how very, very close it is and came from the blues and R & B. This is a great place to find that out if you don't really know. Chess records places songs from their collection on this 2 disk set that are used for the basis for rock tunes to come. It even lists which bands covered or used these songs in the booklet.

Forgetting that, this is a great bunch of music with some TRUE classics on it. Great introduction to some classic blues as well. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

When ever my mojo needs a tune-up....
I've been living the Blues in and around Chicago for several decades now, and this collection always finds its way to the top of my "to play" stack.

You have two tracks from Junior Wells (backed by Buddy Guy on guitar) from his Hoodoo Man Blues album. Then you have two tracks of the gospel inspired vocals of Jimmy Wells. Throw in two more tracks of the mature sound of legendary bluesman J.B. Hutto backed by Lee Jackson. Finally, you have four tracks of the Mississippi flavored sound of Big Joe Williams. This is the real deal; the real Chicago, south side, sound.

Maybe there are better collections out there, but this one has been my personal favorite for a decade. It sounds more genuine than most of the stuff you hear in the clubs these days.

Outstanding Chicago Blues Sampler
This is an excellent CD----and check that price!There is no better music deal on this planet.I first purchased this in one of those cheap oldies various artists racks at a record sore.My only exposure to bluesprior to this was that I was a real Clapton fan in early 70's and he alwaysclaimed that he was rooted in blues music.Now, I see how.

This CDhas 2 tracks from each of five artists. I started listening to a couplethat I really liked from the get-go----Good Morning Little Schoolgirl andTake Five.I thought that some of the other songs were not that good---butthe more I listened to them---well, every song is great!

These bluessongs are very earthy, real stuff, very similar to songs on the Claptonalbum "Back to the Cradle", but much---ouch---better.(It hurtsme to say "better than Clapton", but it's true.)And now Iunderstand where Clapton came from (the Cradle), but these songs are theoriginals.

You won't make a mistake with this CD. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This collection in the ever-expanding Blues Masters series is the second to feature slide guitar work, and it picks up quite a few essential tunes that were missed on the first go-round. Among others, this includes Muddy Waters performing a low-key version of "I Can't Be Satisfied," Elmore James going nice and slow on "The Sky Is Crying," Blind Willie Johnson's fire-and-brimstone voice (which at times overwhelms his guitar playing) on "I Know His Blood Can Make Me Whole," and Son House's excellent "Death Letter." And there are plenty of other artists represented here as well; Hound Dog Taylor with "Take Five," Earl Hooker with "Wah Wah Blues," Johnny Winter with "Dallas," and even Chuck Berry makes an appearance with "Blues for Hawaiians." There's probably nothing here that the die-hard blues fan hasn't heard before, but it's an excellent cross-section of the blues in general and slide guitar in particular, a technique that's almost unrivalled in terms of its sheer expressive power. --Genevieve Williams ... Read more

Album Description

New Hampshire is home to a variety of time-honored music and dance traditions. This 1999 studio recording is a collection of dance tunes played by six New Hampshire groups. Built upon a blend of English, French, and Celtic influences, the music features fiddle, guitar, flute, piano, mandolin, and hammered dulcimer. Some of New Hampshire's renowned dance callers invite you to "choose your partners" and join in New England contra dancing, barn dancing, and singing squares. Produced in collaboration with the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

music good - calls unusable
I'm from NH and have danced to these guys. Great music! The recording of the calls, however, is so poorly done that I am unable to use it in my classes. I have ended up stringing the music and recording my own calls. "Let's all Square Dance" does the job better and gives intro and instruction as well.

Best Contra Dance/Listening CD
I just love this CD. Clear calls, great music. I always play it to put me in a good.Makes you want to tap your feet and balance and swing, do-si-do, and allemende anyway you can!

Great Stuff
I suppose I am not very sophisticated musically. And my attitude is badly distorted by an extreme fondness for New Hampshire. (I am condemned to life in the flatlands of Illinois). But Iknow of no CD or record I have heardthat I have enjoyed more. The music is a selection of traditional music andfresh compositions in a traditional mode. All the music is presented in anextremely refreshing way.I strongly recommend it. My only regret is thatthe groups on this CD do not seem to be otherwise available. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Great sampler
What more to say - see the cuts included.

Blues sampler
This is a great CD for someone who is getting to know the blues for the first time. All types of blues are represented. It includes some of the great masters of the art like Muddy Waters and Koko Taylor. ... Read more

Album Description

Blues Collection with Eddie "Clean Head" Vinson and others ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Good, and I'd buy it again, but...
I like Blues, and I like Billie Holiday, but I don't think that Billie sang the blues. They put 7 of her songs on the 3 cd set, and they seemed incongruous to me. Especially considering all the other great women blues artists they could have chosen instead.

But, I do like compilations, and I think that this is was a good buy for someone who doesn't purchase many cd's (like me!)

Not the best choice.
This is good music no doubt. But... Some of these songs are mislabled. Outskirts of town- is not outskirts of town for instance. Looking back on it, I wouldn't buy it twice. I'd get 1 album for the same price by B.B. or Elmore James, or John Lee Hooker. These discs are about a half hour long A piece. Also as an avid blues fan, I have to ask- why is Billie Holiday on here? She's great and all, but I don't think she belongs here, though she takes up about 20 or more minutes.

Also, I know this is a different day and age and all but Alimony blues kind of turned my stomach. I had never heard it before and it was kind of a slap in the face. It was pretty open about the guy saying he hit his wife once or twice and is now mad about the divorice and alimony. I don't know why that hit me wrong seeing as how 30-20 blues, Boot Hill and Hey Joe never bothered me at all, but it might bother you too. So That's why I mentioned it.

It does have great Classics like B.B.'s Catfish blues version and Boom Boom, Goin' down slow, and The Sky is Crying. This is a decent blues starter album. But like I said, if you know you like the blues or a certain person in the blues, you might as well just pick a person and go with them rather than get this scattered around group of songs.

People that show up are Gatemouth Moore- Johnny Otis- Ray Charles- Joe Turner- Richard Berry- Elmore James [ Robert Johnson's disciple ] and Amos Milbourne. Hope that helped.

terrific collection of blues that everybody should have
If you got to have a cd of blues,you need at least this one for your collection of music. Great performers like Johnny Otis, B.B.KING,Billie Holiday, John Lee Hooker,Ray Charles, etc.will make you feel all the glamour of this music ... Read more

Reviews (1)

My Favorite!
I have seven different blues piano cd's and this one is my absolute favorite. It is difficult to find blues piano anything. Today I visited six different music stores and did not find a single blues piano collection. The older blues collections are mainly a little bit of piano backup with a few flourishes. This cd however, is dedicated to piano solo's that really rock. Maybe I prefer the contemporary but either way this cd is awesome. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The Gift You Weren't Expecting
These days, it's easy to forget that folk music is made by ... well, folks. And not folks in Greenwich Village. These field recordings are stunning in their breadth, clarity, and subtlety. The singers have played these songs for years and have a homey, bright feel to them. "God's Unchanging Hand" is beautiful, slow, deliberate gospel, and "Fred McDowell's Blues" is earthy and transcendent at once. This is my favorite field recording EVER. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

modern blues
This is my FAVORITE blues cd! It has all the flavor of traditional blues music, but with a very contemporary sound. This is going to be one of YOUR favorites too. I have loaned this cd out many, many times, the last time it didn't come back. This is the ONLY site I could find it on. I will be re-purchasing it. Forget the music stores, You won't find it. If you buy it and DON'T like it, contact me, I will buy it from you! Then when everyone asks to use it, I'll just give them a copy for themselves. DON'T forget to listen to the demos! ... Read more