Friday Blues Picks (2/27/26)

It's been awhile since we posted a few picks here....I had intended to try to do this more regularly, but it is what it is.  Let's look at a few recent releases that are well worth your time.

Mississippi Heat - Don't Look Back (Delmark Records):  Pierre Lacocque and his crew strike gold again with this fine release.  He's recruited a host of vocalists (Sheryl Youngblood, Inetta Visor, Daneshia Hamilton, Danielle Nicole, and Omar Coleman, along with guitarists Giles Corey and Billy Flynn, keyboardists Johnny Iguana and John Kattke, and many others.  Ms. Youngblood handles most of the vocals, but the others certainly shine as well, and Coleman joins Lacocque for the harmonica-driven instrumental "Moonshine Man."  If you're a blues fan and you're not familiar with Mississippi Heat (we interviewed Mr. Lacocque several years back), you can't go wrong because it's Chicago blues from one of the best bands around.

Omar Coleman & Igor Prado - Old New Funky and Blue (Nola Blue Records):  Speaking of Mr. Coleman, blues fans are strongly encouraged to check out this wonderful disc, an early contender for Album of the Year.  Teaming with Brazilian guitar master Prado, Coleman turns out a stunning set of Chicago blues and Memphis soul, with six originals from Coleman and Prado and five excellent covers of tunes from Syl Johnson and Bobby Rush.  Trust me, there's not a bad cut in the bunch as Coleman is superb on vocals and harmonica and Prado's guitar work is top notch throughout.  I certainly hope these guys make this a regular collaboration.

Duke Robillard and His All Star Band - Blast Off! (Nola Blue Records):  Another outstanding release from Nola Blue, their first collaboration with Robillard, who has been doing this for well over 50 years.  He sounds as inspired as ever on these twelve tunes, mostly covers with three Robillard originals.  Chris Cote handles vocals on most of these tunes and does a fine job and blues fans will recognize a lot of the names in the All Stars from previous Duke efforts.  This set also features four instrumentals, so Robillard gets plenty of opportunities to strut his stuff.  The cover choices are first rate and the instrumentals will knock your socks off. 

>

Don Leady - Blue Nebula (LeRay Records):  Leady, who fronted the Tail Gators in the 80's and 90's, had released several solo efforts spotlighting his nimble fretwork, and he's spent the last couple of years remastering live tracks from the Tail Gators' performances on five volumes that blues fans should definitely track down.  This release is a six-song EP that mixes blues, R&B, country, and jazz with a bit of surf guitar added for good measure.  Leady plays all the instruments on all six tracks (guitars, bass, percussion, organ) and, trust me, if you are a guitar fan of any style of music, you will love this disc.

Boz Scaggs - Detour (Concord Records):  This release reminds me a lot of Walter "Wolfman" Washington's last couple of releases.  It started out as a set of demos with Scaggs doing some of his favorite standards.  It has that same relaxed feel and Scaggs does a wonderful job interpreting this tunes, made famous by artists like Irma Thomas, Frank Sinatra, Lonnie Johnson, Nat King Cole, and Tony Bennett, but adding his own personal touch to each.  This one leans more toward the jazz end of the spectrum, but Scaggs' vocals make it worth listening.  

Now, let's go back a few years and check out.....

Larry McCray - Live on 75 (Magnolia Records):  If you can find this one, released in 2006 on his own label, it's well worth your time and money......it took me quite a while to track it down.  Recorded in Detroit in 2004, McCray is joined by his brother Steve on drums, Mike Lynch on keyboards, and the legendary bass man Johnny B. Gayden on this powerful twelve-song set that tells you all that you need to know about Larry McCray.  It's downright criminal that he basically disappeared off the radar for nearly 20 years and had a hard time getting his music out there, other than via performance.  Thankfully, Joe Bonamassa got him back into the studio, so McCray is back!  If you can find this set, you can get a good taste of what McCray's first few years were like and see what the fuss was all about (since all of his earlier albums are out of print). 

Since this one is out of print, here's the entire album, via YouTube.

We'll be back in a couple of weeks with a few more recent releases that you definitely need to be listening to.

Friday Blues Fix's Top Albums of 2025

(Sorry for the lack of posting lately.....it's been pretty busy.  I will try to do better in 2026.)

I was talking with Blues Bytes' founder Bill Mitchell about our end-of-year favorites and he told me that he was having a hard time getting his list down to a reasonable number due to the overwhelming amount of great releases this year.  That was before I started working on my list, which I did on Tuesday night.  After a couple of hours of reviewing reviews, I finally "whittled" my list down to a solid 30.  I don't think Bill's decided on a Top Ten or Top Twenty list as of yet for the January issue, but I thought I would just list my Top 30 here for kicks, in no particular order, for those who care about such things.  

Mark “Muleman” Massey - Been A Long, Long Time (Muletone Records):  

Bob Corritore & Friends  - Doin' The Shout (SWMAP/VizzTone Records):  

Daddy Mack Blues Band - Doctor's Orders (Inside Sounds Records)

Ian Siegal Meets Johnny Maestro - Easy Tiger (Continental Blue Heaven) 

Southern Avenue - Family (Alligator Records)

Andrew Duncanson - California Trap (Run It Back Records)

Johnny Rawls - Make Them Dance (Catfood Records)

John Primer - Grown In Mississippi (Blues House Productions)

Ra'Shad The Blues Kid - Live In Clarksdale

Tad Robinson - Soul In Blues (Delmark Records)

D.K. Harrell - Talkin' Heavy (Alligator Records)

Larry McCray - Heartbreak City (Keeping The Blues Alive)

Emma Wilson - A Spoonful of Willie Dixon (Emma Wilson Music)

Alan Arena - Deceived 

Buddy Guy - Done With The Blues (Silvertone/RCA)

Garry Burnside - It's My Time Now (Strolling Bones)

Kent Burnside - Hill Country Blood (Strolling Bones)

Yates McKendree - Need To Know (Qualified Records)

The Christopher Dean Band - Steppin' Out Tonight (Lost World Music)

Candice Ivory - New Southern Vintage (Nola Blue Records)

Various Artists - The Last Real Texas Blues Album (Antone's Records)

Jimi “Prime Time” Smith - It's My Time (New Folk Records)

Kirk Fletcher - Keep On Pushing (VizzTone)

Christone “Kingfish” Ingram - Hard Road (Red Zero Records)

Jimmy Burns and Soul Message Band - Full Circle (Delmark Records)

Sean McDonald - Have Mercy! (Little Village)

Galactic and Irma Thomas - Audience With The Queen (Tchoup-zilla Records)

Duwayne Burnside - Red Rooster (Lucky 13 Records)

Corey Ledet Zydeco - Live in Alaska 

North Mississippi Allstars - Still Shakin' (New West Records)

Hopefully, more to come soon, so stay tuned.