Blue(s) From Santa

What - still confused over what to get your favorite blues fan for Christmas ? Here's some suggested stocking stuffers that might be a better choice than that tie with the really irritating color scheme or another reindeer sweater:


1. Hard Believer - Tommy Castro - Alligator
I first heard Tommy Castro's music back in the 90s courtesy of an exhibitor in the trade shows I used to run and liked his music from the start - uptempo, bluesy and tongue-in-cheek lyrics. His latest ranges from the energetic mix of horns and guitar solos a la Jimi Hendrix on "Monkey's Paradise" to the straight ahead, flat out road runner flavor of "Make It Back To Memphis" with solid blues ballads like "Backup Plan" and "It Is What It Is", not to mention my favorite new theme song of the economic meltdown - "Trimmin' Fat". or Castro's soul drenched version of "Ninety Nine and a Half".

2. The Blues Rolls On - Elvin Bishop - Delta Groove
Elvin Bishop probably deserves an "I'm Still Here" lifetime award , or at least a few pats on the back for outliving most of the members of the original Paul Butterfield band, not to mention his stint on the Billboard charts with "Fooled Around and Fell In Love". Bishop knows how to put a song together as evidenced by the presence of - surprise - Tommy Castro, James Cotton, George Thorogood,B.B. King and others on his latest. My personal favorite is "Who's The Fool?" featuring John Nemeth and Kid Anderson. BB King and "Lucille" help Elvin pay homage to Roy Milton and a bit of BB's past in "Keep A Dollar in Your Pocket". Bishop's rendition of Ray Charles' "Night Time Is The Right Time" , "Yonders Wall" , and the title cut are all worth a listen.

3. Acquired Taste - Delbert McClinton - New West Records
Delbert McClinton is another blues survivor, although my favorite Delbert tune - "Shakey Ground" - is more funk than blues. The tune that first caught my ear from"Acquired" is one called "Can't Nobody Say I Didn't Try", featuring a tear-drenched vocal accompanied by a Nashville sounding slide guitar that punctuates the late night lyrics about love lost. "I Need To Know" , "Mama's Little Baby" , and "Starting A Rumor" are just a few examples of Delbert's ability to borrow from country,blues , soul and even a little jazz, a testament to his extensive talent.

More next week - I have to go shopping.