BLUE ORCHiD BLUES:MiX # 33 blues(y) songs from the BLUES_circle 2005-1994 (2h 16m) # The White Stripes, Taj Mahal, Shemekia Copeland, Lazy Lester, Sue Foley, Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials, Taj Mahal, Little Mack Simmons, Guy Davis, Joanna Connor, Jimmie Vaughan
B L U E S M U S I C (2h 16m)
if you want excitement PRESS SHUFFLE!
.BLUES_circle on ⏵deezer
BLUES_circle The player always plays the latest playlist tracks. / A lejátszó mindig a legújabb playlist számait játssza.
2005-1994
With their unlikely but fascinating mix of arty concepts and raw sounds, the White Stripes were among the leaders of the early-2000s garage rock revival and helped define the sound of 21st century rock as the decade progressed. Jack and Meg White's clever use of limitations -- from their lineup to their instrumentation to their red, white, and black color scheme -- maximized their creativity, allowing them to bring a surprising number of facets to their seemingly back-to-basics approach. Meg's straight-ahead, minimalist drumming complemented Jack's freewheeling guitars and vocals perfectly, and their music touched on not only on obvious forebears such as the Gories and the Stooges, but also Son House and Blind Willie McTell's mythic blues, Led Zeppelin's riffs...
Blue Orchid 2:37
Instinct Blues4:16
from Get Behind Me Satan 2005
According to Jack White, Get Behind Me Satan deals with "characters and the ideal of truth," but in truth, the album is just as much about what people expect from the White Stripes and what they themselves want to deliver. Advance publicity for the album stated that it was written on piano, marimba, and acoustic guitar, suggesting that it was going to be a quiet retreat to the band's little room after the big sound, and bigger success, of Elephant. Then "Blue Orchid," Get Behind Me Satan's lead single, arrived. A devilish slice of disco-metal with heavily processed, nearly robotic riffs, the song was thrilling, but also oddly perfunctory; it felt almost like a caricature of their stripped-down but hard-hitting rock. As the opening track for Get Behind Me Satan, "Blue Orchid" is more than a little perverse, as though the White Stripes are giving their audience the required rock single before getting back to that little room, locking the door behind them, and doing whatever the hell they want...
One of the most prominent figures in late 20th century blues, singer/multi-instrumentalist Taj Mahal played an enormous role in revitalizing and preserving traditional acoustic blues. Not content to stay within that realm, Mahal soon broadened his approach, taking a musicologist's interest in a multitude of folk and roots music from around the world -- reggae and other Caribbean folk, jazz, gospel, R&B, zydeco, various West African styles, Latin, even Hawaiian. The African-derived heritage of most of those forms allowed Mahal to explore his own ethnicity from a global perspective and to present the blues as part of a wider musical context...
The Very Best of Taj Mahal
Señor Blues (Horace Silver) 6:44
Lonely Avenue (Doc Pomus) 3:26
Take a Giant Step (Gerry Goffin / Carole King) 4:37
Mailbox Blues (Taj Mahal) 3:31
from Blues With A Feeling 2003
Throughout his career, Taj Mahal has always been considered a bluesman, which is true enough, since the basis for everything he does has been the country blues, but he is not a traditionalist at heart, and he has always looked for ways to push the blues into new places and shapes. Adding at times rhythms and sensibilities that are drawn from reggae, ragtime, calypso, zydeco, and other genres, Mahal practices a kind of blues hybrid that is his alone, and he has been a huge influence on newer artists like Chris Thomas King and Corey Harris. This collection derives from the five albums he recorded with Private Records during the 1990s, and overlaps somewhat with The Best of the Private Years, released in 2000...
Projecting a maturity beyond her years, blues singer Shemekia Copeland began making a splash in her own right before she was even out of her teens. Copeland fashioned herself as a powerful, soul-inflected shouter in the tradition of Koko Taylor and Etta James, yet also proved capable of a subtler range of emotions. Her 1998 Alligator debut, Turn the Heat Up!, featured a career-elevating version of "Ghetto Child," a classic by her father, renowned Texas blues guitarist Johnny Copeland, that has been part of her performance repertoire ever since...
Livin' on Love (Craig Fuller / Gary Nicholson) 4:03
When a Woman's Had Enough (Alan Mirikitani / Dennis Walker) 3:54
Talking to Strangers (Mac Rebennack) 4:06
from Talking To Strangers 2002
This disc, which has Dr. John at the controls as a producer, brings together a mix that brings out the best for all those concerned and involved with this project. There is no weakness here, it is a straight-ahead use of all the strengths of Shemekia Copeland, daughter of Johnny Copeland. The songs were well selected to effectively show off all her potency as a vocalist. There are some many good writers that are also players on this disc that the tunes fit like gloves. There are strong contributions by John "Fingers" Hahn, Mac Rebennack, and Shemekia Copeland herself. The tunes, varied in style, are all based in the deep blues, and were selected for their capability to push her vocal talents to constant new personal pinnacles... This disc shows us some new sides of this fine singer, while she stretches her limits and she more than holds her own while being in the company of such luminous musicians as accompany her on this disc. This disc seems a return to the blues burner she is capable of being. She does her daddy proud on this stellar disc.
Contrary to his colorful sobriquet (supplied by prolific South Louisiana producer J.D. Miller), harpist Lazy Lester swore he never was all that lethargic... While growing up outside of Baton Rouge, Leslie Johnson was influenced by Jimmy Reed and Little Walter. But his entry into playing professionally arrived quite by accident: while riding on a bus sometime in the mid-'50s, he met guitarist Lightnin' Slim, who was searching fruitlessly for an AWOL harpist. The two's styles meshed seamlessly, and Lester became Slim's harpist of choice...
with Jimmie Vaughan
Blues Stop Knockin' (Jay Miller) 4:28
Sad City Blues (J.D. Miller) 4:50
I'm Gonna Miss You (Like the Devil) 3:50
from Blues Stop Knockin' 2001
Not the most nimble harp player on the blues block, Lazy Lester nonetheless connects when he's backed by a sympathetic band, as he is on this recording, his first in three years. Aided immensely by guitarists Jimmie Vaughen and Derek O'Brien (who also produces) on all but one track, the 70-year-old Lester returns to his swampy Excello label past on this sturdy release. Although it was recorded in Texas, Lester effortlessly evokes his Louisiana roots in a set predominantly consisting of covers that feature his moody harmonica and deep, bluesy sound. With muscular songs and a band who knows their way around a muddy groove, Lester is in fine, low-key form throughout. Far from energetic, as his moniker implies, he sounds remarkably inspired throughout. When he hits his mark on the slow blues of "Sad City Blues" (featuring guests Sue Foley, Sarah Brown, and Gene Taylor) or connects on the Jimmy Reed-ish "Miss You Like the Devi," his quivering voice and unamplified harp evoke the sound of those great '60s songs he turned into models of the genre...
Sue Foley is a Canadian guitarist, singer, songwriter and bandleader based in Austin, Texas. Her trademark instrument is a pink paisley Fender Telecaster. She signed with Antone's Records for her 1992 acclaimed debut album Young Girl Blues, and followed with Without a Warning a year later. Foley's wicked lead guitar made her a rarity among blueswomen at the time.
Lightnin' Boogie 1:44
I Feel So Good 3:24
Me & My Chauffeur Blues 3:06
from Back to the Blues 2000
Foley was born in Ottowa, Ontario in 1968. She spent her early childhood in Canada longing for her father's guitar. She learned to play at age 13, became interested in blues from listening to the Rolling Stones and other blues and roots rock bands. She played her first professional gig at 16. After graduating high school, she relocated to Vancouver where she formed a band... She signed to Shanachie for 1998's Ten Days In November, then returned to live in Canada where 2000's Love Comin' Down won a Juno award. In 2001 Foley started a music history project called Guitar Woman based on dozens of interviews she conducted with the world’s leading female guitarists. Between 2001-2008, she wrote articles, organized and promoted concerts, and worked on a book...
Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials were among the premiere party bands to come out of Chicago during the '70s and '80s. Often compared to Elmore James and Hound Dog Taylor, fiery, flamboyant slide guitarist Lil' Ed Williams and his group have continued to play dedicated, rough-edged, and hard-rocking dance music, establishing an international reputation that has lasted into the new millennium... Following its third album, the group went on hiatus for a few years, during which Lil' Ed Williams released two albums on Earwig, 1996's Keep on Walkin' with Dave Weld and 1998's Who's Been Talking with Willie Kent. In 1999 the band reconvened and released Get Wild...
Singing Slide 3:07
Too Late (J.B. Hutto) 4:52
The Cannonball (Lil' Ed Williams) 3:32
from Get Wild 1999
After disbanding his group to take time off to clean up his life, Lil' Ed re-formed the Blues Imperials for this 1999 entry, his first for Alligator since What You See Is What You Get. The good news is that the time off had totally reinvigorated Ed's playing, singing, and songwriting, as he ultimately turned in a great batch of originals infused with blistering raw energy. The only non-originals out of the 14 tracks assembled here are nice takes on "Too Late" and "Pet Cream Man," both tunes written by Ed's uncle and principal inspiration, the late J.B. Hutto. Call this a comeback album if you must, but if great, raw Chicago blues is your thing, consider this one great album, period.
One of the most prominent figures in late 20th century blues, singer/multi-instrumentalist Taj Mahal played an enormous role in revitalizing and preserving traditional acoustic blues. Not content to stay within that realm, Mahal soon broadened his approach, taking a musicologist's interest in a multitude of folk and roots music from around the world -- reggae and other Caribbean folk, jazz, gospel, R&B, zydeco, various West African styles, Latin, even Hawaiian...
The Calypsonians 6:28
Sacred Island (Moku La'a) 5:15
The New Hula Blues 4:44
Sacred Island is an album by the American blues/world artist Taj Mahal and the Hawaiian music group the Hula Blues Band, released in 1998. The album peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Blues Albums chart... The Edmonton Journal wrote that "the sounds of tenor, baritone, and Liliu ukuleles, Hawaiian steel guitar, pan pipes and slack-key guitars combine with the main man's National dobro and harmonica to create a wonderful musical trip thru the islands." The Dayton Daily News thought that "a gentle Calypso backbeat snakes its way through the project, creating a warm, laid-back, breezy feel." The San Diego Union-Tribune noted "the shock of hearing [the] first song: 'The New Calypsonians' sounds a bit like a gruff-voiced Mose Allison singing reggae at Don Ho's lounge."...
... ‘Little’ Mack Simmons was one of the stalwarts of the Chicago club scene; he taught himself harmonica as a youngster and in the early 50s occasionally worked with bluesmen on the St. Louis, Missouri, club circuit, before settling in Chicago in 1954. Since the late 60s he recorded for many small local labels, and sometimes larger companies such as Checker. In 1967 he received a three-year prison sentence for a drugs offence. He ran his own label recording studio and club from time to time and recorded blues, gospel (he was known for a time as Reverend Mac Simmons) and soul...
Trouble No More (Muddy Waters) 5:46
Fever (Eddie Cooley / John Davenport) 4:56
All Around the World (Titus Turner) 4:51
from Somewhere On Down The Line / Rec. July 19, 1997 & July 21, 1997 (1999)
While there's little startling about this 1999 collection of predominantly acoustic covers from the Chicago harpist/vocalist, the band and Simmons consistently find a low-key groove that's intoxicating. Simmons sings with easy authority, a sort of less lascivious Sonny Boy Williamson, and his band supports him with an effervescent, entirely unpretentious upbeat blues that leaps out of the speakers. Even warhorses like Little Willie John's "Fever" (which features an absolutely mind-melting piano solo from someone named Tyler Yarema) and Little Milton's "All Around the World," both of which have been covered to death, find unexpectedly fresh interpretations here. With leisurely, moving vocals that deliver emotionally without unnecessary effort, Simmons dances with the melodies, and his inspired performance makes this a successful album. The primarily acoustic format keeps the sound airy and uncluttered, as Simmons shifts from blues to gospel to R&B with deceptive ease...
Updating the rural blues tradition for the modern era, Guy Davis was among the most prominent ambassadors of African-American art and culture of his generation, additionally winning great acclaim for his work in the theater... though raised in the city, Davis was frequently regaled with stories of Southern country life as a child, and over time became so enamored of the music of Blind Willie McTell, Skip James, Mississippi John Hurt, and others that he taught himself guitar. As a 13-year-old experiencing his first Buddy Guy concert, Davis' own fate as a bluesman was sealed, especially after he learned his distinctive fingerpicking style from a nine-fingered guitarist he met on a train traveling from Boston to New York some years later...
I Got the Power (Guy Davis) 4:53
When You Got a Good Friend (Robert Johnson / Traditional) 3:15
Thanksgiving Day (Guy Davis) 2:46
from Call Down The Thunder 1996
From the infectious opening notes of "Georgia Jelly Roll" through the stomping sounds of the closing "New Shoes," Call Down the Thunder is honest, raw, from-the-gut blues music, imbued with the joy of a gospel meeting. Guy Davis is a master storyteller, penning ten of the 13 songs included here. His slide playing is exceptional and at times very reminiscent of Robert Johnson.
Since releasing the aptly titled Believe It! for Blind Pig in 1989, Chicago-based guitarist and singer/songwriter Joanna Connor has revealed herself as a virtuoso stylist in modern electric blues, R&B, and blues-rock. Her take-no-prisoners playing style joins fiery single-string runs to dazzling, rough-and-ready slide guitar pyrotechnics in an approach at once incendiary and deeply soulful...
Never Been Rocked Enough (Delbert McClinton / Troy Seals)
Rock & Roll Gypsy:
Fire (Jimi Hendrix) 2:52
from Rock and: Roll Gypsy 1995
Jimmie Vaughan is a Texas blues guitarist responsible for opening up the national market for roadhouse blues and R&B during the late 20th century. With his tough, lean style, he co-led the Fabulous Thunderbirds with vocalist Kim Wilson between 1979 and 1987. In 1990, he and younger brother Stevie Ray Vaughan cut Family Style. He launched his solo career with 1994's Strange Pleasure...
Don't Cha Know (Jimmie Vaughan) 4:20
Two Wings (Dr. John / Mac Rebennack / Jimmie Vaughan) 4:25
Just Like Putty (Paul Ray / Jimmie Vaughan) 4:07
from Strange Pleasure 1994
Jimmie creates a distinctive blend of soul-inflected blues-rock. His voice is cool and earnest, while his guitar-playing is tastefully reserved and sharp; underpinning and accentuating the songs with trebly licks not dissimilar to Lightnin Hopkins or Albert Collins. His poised, easy sound is filled out by mainstays such as Bill Willis, who fills in the bass on the Hammond pedals, and a soulful harmony of male backing vocals... Strange Pleasure is a creative and textured solo-debut, full of feeling and allowing Jimmie to explore a surprisingly versatile range of moods and good-vibes...
