Heavy Picks: The Robert Cray Collection
Artist: Robert Cray
Community Score: 8.00

Robert Cray left his longtime home Mercury Records following the release of 1997's Sweet Potato Pie, moving to Rykodisc in 1999. Not long after his Ryko debut Take Your Shoes Off -- just a little over six months, actually -- Mercury released Heavy Picks: The Robert Cray Collection. It wasn't really an attempt to steal the thunder from Take Your... Read More

Man's Temptation
Artist: Rockin' Johnny

Johnny Burgin's second recording features his band alone, no special stars or guests, and they stand up quite well instrumentally and traditionally. Tinges of rockabilly, soul or pop may creep in, but they play Chicago style blues in a manner very similar to Paul Butterfield. They may be more like Butter, especially Johnny's vocals, than any... Read More

The Very Best of Albert King
Artist: Albert King

There have been many compilations of Albert King's classic Stax recordings over the years, including the wonderful double-disc set The Ultimate Collection, but Rhino's The Very Best of Albert King is perhaps the best for curious listeners, since it offers 16 classics on one disc. There may be a few favorites missing, from "The Hunter" to "The... Read More

The Real Deal
Artist: John Primer

Thought they didn't make traditional Chicago blues albums worthy of the name anymore? Guess again: Primer's major-label bow is an entirely satisfying affair produced by Mike Vernon that's long on intensity and devoid of pretension. Lots of originals; a handful of well-chosen covers, and a vicious band (pianist David Maxwell and harpist Billy... Read More

Bad Luck Boy
Artist: Phil Guy

Phil Guy never was able to establish an identity separate from his older brother Buddy, but as his debut album Bad Luck Boy shows, he didn't really try, either. Guy's stock-in-trade is Chicago blues, and while he doesn't perform with much imagination, he's hardly incompetent, either. The problem may be that he's simply competent, unwilling to... Read More

Live On
Artist: Kenny Wayne Shepherd
Community Score: 4.75

Being a teenage blues guitar prodigy is a double-edged sword. Stunning technique brings attention, but also criticism that it's all style and no soul. This criticism plagued Kenny Wayne Shepherd since his popular debut album, Ledbetter Heights, and it's warranted to a certain extent. It didn't help that Shepherd so strongly recalled Stevie Ray... Read More