Pure Blues

2001 collection of modern guitar-based Blues including cuts from legends such as Muddy Waters, Freddy King, Bobby Bland, and John Lee Hooker, along with recent Blues stars like Stevie Ray Vaughan and his followers Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Jonny Lang.A good introduction to modern guitar-based blues, Pure Blues features classics by Muddy Waters, Freddy King, Bobby Bland, and John Lee Hooker, along with recent blues stars like Stevie Ray Vaughan and his followers Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Jonny Lang. While attributing classic status to Susan Tedeschi’s “Just Won’t Burn” may chafe some purists, this comp clearly wasn’t intended for the die-hard blues fanatic. But as an introduction, it illustrates the blues tradition and its influence on rock (and rock’s influence on the blues) quite nicely. For fans of the Allman Brothers (whose version of Blind Willie McTell’s classic “Statesboro Blues” is included) or Eric Clapton’s work with Derek & the Dominos or for dad at Christmas, this would make a good gift. Also, if this manages to inspire anyone to pick up Etta James’s classic Tell Mama set, the folks at UTV will have done the world a service. –Mike Johnson