The blues world lost a treasure when Luther Allison died in 1997, just as he was finally garnering the recognition he so richly deserved. If there's any question of that, this live album, recorded at the 1995 Chicago Blues Festival and at Buddy Guy's Legends, will dispel any such notion. A performer and songwriter of the first order, Allison had the sort of mastery of his instrument that comes from long experience; whether rolling off licks on the "Gambler's Blues/Sweet Little Angel" medley, or playing extended solos on "All the King's Horses", Allison's on the ball and in control at all times. This album contains mostly newer material previously recorded for Alligator Records, like "Soul Fixin' Man", "Bad Love", "All the King's Horses", and "What Have I Done Wrong?" Overall, this is an excellent memorial to a musician who should be remembered. -Genevieve Williams.

Screamin' and Hollerin' the Blues contains all the 50-odd recordings made between 1929 and 1934 by the Mississippi singer and guitarist Charley Patton. Deep, dark and rich as Mississippi mud, these blues of dirt roads and high waters, of roosters, rattlesnakes and railroads, are delivered with an intensity that at first seems crushing but is finally uplifting. But these extraordinary performances are only the beginning. Also included, all expertly transferred from the best original 78 rpm discs, are recordings by Patton's associates-Son House, Willie Brown and fiddler Henry Sims-and even by people who merely shared a studio with him, such as Buddy Boy Hawkins and a gospel group called The Delta Big Four. That gets you through five of the seven CDs. Still to come is "Charley's Orbit", two dozen performances that influenced or were influenced by him, or were just in the air at the same time, by artists such as Tommy Johnson, Booker White and Howlin' Wolf. And then a disc of interviews with men who knew him, among them Wolf again and Roebuck Staples. The CDs are mounted on cardboard replicas of old 78s, slipped into replicas of the original paper sleeves and bound into a sumptuous book-like album. Also included are impossibly copious notes, sticker-reproductions of the original 78s' labels and a facsimile of a 1970 book on Patton by the late guitarist John Fahey, the moving spirit behind Revenant. It's not just a record album but a costly and magnificent tribute-the Charley Patton Memorial. [+]

If the Butterfield Blues Band's groundbreaking debut earned the respect of the group's elder influences, this one won over (and guided) the blues boys' psychedelic peers. Highlighted by the 13-minute-plus title track (an Eastern-influenced jam cowritten by guitarist Mike Bloomfield), East-West stretches the boundaries of the blues. It would prod many lesser groups to explore, with generally dreary results, interminable free-flight explorations. But while East-West and a cover of jazzman Cannonball Adderly's "Work Song" ventured in new directions, Paul Butterfield and company remained rooted in solid Chicago blues. East West presents the best of both worlds. -Steve Stolder.

When Bonnie Raitt collected four Grammies for her 1989 multiplatinum breakthrough Nick of Time, it offered sweet justification for fans that had followed her through years of great recordings but plenty of hard luck in terms of commercial success. The Bonnie Raitt Collection shows why those fans were right all along. From the early blues-mama stylings of "Give It Up or Let Me Go" and "Love Me Like a Man" to the increased pop sophistication she brought to songs like her funky reworking of Del Shannon's "Runaway" and Bryan Adams's straight-ahead rocker "No Way to Treat a Lady", the set offers a worthwhile sampling of the decade and a half she spent recording for the Warner Bros. label. Of special note are a pair of live recordings; a previously unreleased version of "Women Be Wise", featuring one of Raitt's primary mentors, Sippie Wallace; and a duet with John Prine on "Angel from Montgomery" that first appeared on the Grammy-winning Tribute to Steve Goodman. If you only recently discovered Raitt, this collection will help you decide which of her earlier works to sample next. -Daniel Durchholz.