1. Jackie Payne Steve Edmonson Band "Master Of The Game" (Delta Groove Prod.) LISTEN

...This new Delta Groove Productions release, "Master Of The Game", is the epitome of deep-in-yo-gut Southern Soul, Staxy Funk and raucous Blues...Jackie Payne does have it (soul)...and in abundance. A Gospel-hewn, gritty voice that masters both Soul and Blues games.

 2. Billy Jones "Tha' Bluez" (Black & Tan) LISTEN

...14 strong original jams comprise the debut CD for Black & Tan Records by Delta-based Blues dynamo Billy Jones. Equal parts Soul-drenched R & B, Funk and Mississippi Blues the immodestly-titled "Tha Bluez" is one of the biggest surprises of the year for me.

...With a powerful voice every bit as good as the more celebrated Susan Tedeschi, Magness gives it her all on a selection of R & B, Soul & Blues

...Kirkland's Blues all have a hard-to-categorize pulse to them- ragged, African-flavored, Jamaican born, forceful- with a soulful shout and unpredictable progression that usually eschews the 12-bar formula. Open chords, sevenths and disparate tunings don't make for the most accessible of sounds but his raw emotion and conviction grabs your attention and won't let go. He's the Ornette Coleman of the Blues world- elusive, challenging, inventive yet committed to his art form.

 5. Frankie Lee "Standing At The Crossroads" (Blues Express) LISTEN

...with such all star support it's Lee who's the star of the show, nearly cathartic in his gutbucket outpour of raw emotion on each and every cut. After twelve impassioned vocals he saves the best for last in the form of the instant classic "I Ain't Ever Had The Blues (Like This Before)", augmented by icy organ and a canopy of mournful horns. A dynamite closer to a heckuva show.

 6. Joey Gilmore "The Ghosts Of Mississippi Meet The Gods Of Africa" (Bluzpik) LISTEN

...This potent, Soulful set is an inspired session of modern electric Blues with Soul. Opening with "Ghosts Of Mississippi", a brilliant piece written by Graham Wood Drout, with Gilmore and band hitting thick and muscular ala Albert King's "Born Under A Born Sign". Gilmore's pinched, slightly raspy voice and tart guitar licks get All Star support

  7. Watermelon Slim & The Workers (self titled) (Northern Blues) LISTEN

...Raggedy, dusty Blues from an ex-truck driver with a Master's Degree in...you thought I was going to say "in the Blues" or something pithy like that but the dude really does have a MD in history. Following a heart-attack in the 90s he decided to pursue the Blues and has turned out a terrific Country Blues set full of clever lyrics and passion.

 8. Ike Turner "Risin' With The Blues" (Zoho Music) LISTEN

...Turner had already made a mini-comeback in 2001 when his record "Here And Now" was nominated for a Grammy and scooped up honors from leading Blues organizations but said record had it's problems (the drum programming on some tracks was embarrassingly bad) so this new 14-track effort is his true return to form. It's a musician's feast of tight rhythm, Soul & style performed by Ike and his "Kings Of Rhythm".

 9. Michelle Malone "Sugarfoot" (SBS) LISTEN

...Malone's rich vocals blew me away on the tender "Beyond The Mountain" and "Leather Bracelet. Bonnie Raitt you better start sweating now...she's bursting with attitude and stomping like a prettier Janis Joplin (sorry Janis)... straight up slide guitar rock that'll "drop you to your knees"

10. JJ Cale & Eric Clapton "The Road To Escondido" (Reprise) LISTEN

...The last time Eric Clapton teamed up for a record it sold in excess of 2 million copies (with B.B. King on "Riding With The King")...Artistically it's light years ahead of that all Blues project. "Escondido"s an intoxicating, genre-bending mix of bits of Rock, Country, Blues and a large measure of Folk.

11. Charlie Musselwhite "Delta Hardware" (Real World) LISTEN

...A feast for Blues purists "Delta Hardware" is no fuss blue collar Blues by a legend of Electric Blues harmonica... just raw, primal boogie, shuffle & a little slow Blues from the real thing.

12. Billy Price "East End Avenue" (Bonedog) LISTEN

... Pittsburgh, PA's favorite blue-eyed soulman Billy Price has joined the Bonedog Records stable for the excellent "East End Avenue". Co-produced by Price and Jeff Ingersoll, the set boasts 14(!) hard hitting Soul, Blues & R & B numbers lead by a superb group of musicians

13. John Long "Lost & Found" (Delta Groove Productions) LISTEN

...countrified T-Bone blueser named John Long...one of the finest debut albums to "suddenly" appear in quite some time. Once you hear "Lost & Found" you'll think Delta Groove Productions stumbled across some cousin of T-Bone Walker who'd been in seclusion in some backwoods shack. This is 100% pure country blues that's instantly classic but this record was recorded in a single day in August 2005.

14. Lil' Dave Thompson "Got To Get Over You" (Electro-Fi) LISTEN

...As a guitar picker Thompson's slightly faster with the fingers than Albert King; sharper, perhaps not as soulful, but the kind of player you just sit back and listen to. He dazzles on every track, never seeming to repeat the same lick. "Got To Get Over You", is more than just a vehicle for his impressive chops. Produced by Andrew Galloway, this set features 9 strong Thompson originals plus 1 written by friend Cheryl Pinkney

15. Trudy Lynn with The Calvin Owens Blues Orchestra "I'm Still Here" (Sawdust Alley) LISTEN

...I had the privilege of hearing Rue Davis' songwriting demos so I was "jazzed", no pun intended, to hear Trudy tear into this fine batch of songs.  There was no "blues orchestra" on them demos so I was a bit worried what would be the result of this seemingly superfluous hybrid... they didn't need to be jazzed up with a 24-piece orchestra. Well, it turned out the new backdrop took this project to another level! The arrangements are tasteful, not overblown like I feared, and this is one fantastic band and bandleader (Calvin Owens). As always, Lynn is a dynamic singer and she hasn't lost a hint of her vocal prowess.

16. D.C. Bellamy "Give Some Body To Somebody" (Stack House) LISTEN

...Bellamy has a seriously Funky Soul that pushes these mostly original cuts beyond the standard competition...Bellamy wrote 8 of the 13 songs and to my ears has catapulted himself to the upper echelon of Bluesers today. Get one for yourself and them give somebody "Give Some Body To Somebody" as a gift!

17. Ronnie Baker Brooks "The Torch" (Watchdog) LISTEN

...Ronnie Baker Brooks, son of Blues legend Lonnie Brooks, would have your attention regardless of his lineage. "The Torch"  is his third, most diverse and best record to date...boasts 17 tracks (!) and the majority of them are keepers. From the sweet, Soulful "Be A Good Man", manic instrumental "Train" to the machine-gun funk of "Mack Momma".

18. Lynwood Slim "Last Call" (Delta Groove Productions) LISTEN

...It swings like a gate with jumpin' jive and rootsy reverence...delightful new release from a cool cat named "Lynwood Slim". Clean, slick production and a connoisseur's choice of covers played superbly by vocalist/harpist Slim and Delya Groove allstars Kid Ramos, Kirk Fletcher, Richard Innes, Jon Bazz et al.

19. Irma Thomas "After The Rain" (Rounder) LISTEN

...The "Soul Queen Of New Orleans" was gigging in Austin when Hurricane Katrina hit. This is not a somber elegy to the tragedy but an often raucous gumbo of Blues/Folk ("Flowers"), Gospel ("I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To be Free"), Pop Standards ("Count the Tears") and a hint of Jazz ("These Honey Dos"). After a six-year hiatus and "after the rain" Irma Thomas is back as strong and lovely as ever.

20. Dan Treanor & African Wind "Mercy" (Plan-It Prod.) LISTEN

...African music and rootsy Delta blues power...(Treanor refers) to McDowell's quote about "natchel blues" because one could miss the fact that underneath all this adventurous instrumentation it's straight natural blues. Treanor calls his brand "Afrosippi Blues", which with little imagination must mean "African Mississippi Blues!"

21. Big Shanty "Ride With The Wind" (King Mojo) LISTEN

...Is Big Shanty "the white Jimi Hendrix" with a Neil Young grunge aesthetic? He certainly is on the anti-war diatribe "Killing Fields"...Adding "alternative beats", often lazily dubbed Hip Hop, was a success for R.L. Burnside & Fat Possom Records, but Shanty's use of funky drumming is fully integrated with the song rather than feeling like a remix. In a sense he's a Bluesier version of Beck (or perhaps the other way around).

22. Little Phil "Out Of The Shadows" (Coffeehouse) LISTEN

...Now he may look a bit like a country singer but "Little Phil" is big on soul music...Phil sings his heart, nay soul, out with a voice that reminds me a bit of Don Henley or Joe Walsh singing deep soul... and he sells it

23. The Calvin Owens Show "Ain't Gonna Be Yo' Dog No Mo" (Sawdust Alley) LISTEN

...The working title of this blazing new disc was "Keepin' Big Band Blues Alive Vol. 2" and I believe this chapter succeeds more so than the first. Perhaps with a nod to his successful "True Blue" project the trumpet wizard is accompanied by some heavyweight guests. The incomparable Trudy Lynn is on board, as are Tommy Castro, Guitar Shorty, Hamilton Loomis, Jabo The Crown Prince Of Zydeco, David Maxwell, in addition to Owens' acclaimed 24-piece orchestra.

24. Maria Muldaur "Heart Of Mine: Love Songs Of Bob Dylan" (Telarc) LISTEN

...Maria Muldaur is a great singer and has a beautiful voice- a disparate instrument with both childlike charm and enough whisky weathered weariness to keep it Bluesy. For "Heart Of Mine: Maria Muldaur Sings The Love Songs Of Bob Dylan" she's created some of the best Dylan covers to date.

25. Daddy Mack Blues Band "Slow Ride" (Inside Sounds) LISTEN

...British/American rockers have a long history of borrowing from black music via the likes of the Rolling Stones to Eric Clapton to Led Zeppelin so why not turn the tables on them? That's the concept on "Slow Ride" in a nutshell: A Blues band turning white Blues/Rock songs black...it works surprisingly well

26. Larry McCray "Live On Interstate 75" (Magnolia) LISTEN

...an opportunity to bring out the best in a performer unrestrained and unexpurgated... this new live set will make a fan out of anybody that digs electric Blues- whether the funky, soulful or heavy kind. The 12 tracks play like a "best of" by drawing dynamic portraits of tracks from each of his 4 records

27. Walter Trout & Friends "Full Circle" (Ruf) LISTEN

...testosterone-fueled Blues/Rock..."Full Circle", his superstar duets album, clocked in at #2 on Billboard's Blues chart recently. It's not that he needed the help but this set boasts some of the leading Blues artists on the circuit so you get more bang for your Blues.

28. Junior Wells "Live At Theresa's 1975" (Delmark) LISTEN

..."Live At Theresa's 1975" is a real treasure. An intimate, no-frills (and definitely no overdubs) set of classic Chicago-style Blues with all the inbetween song dialogue intact...Wells and the gang are loose with the lip, the quip and the hip

29. James Hunter "People Gonna Talk" (Rounder) LISTEN

...Where did this British guy get the temerity to record such a convincing classic R & B album? 14 original tracks that contemporizes a classic era unlike few I've heard of late. Hunter, producer Liam Watson et al heap much TLC to ensure the spirit of retro Soul/Blues here remains a throwback but still sounds current.

30. Fiona Boyes "Lucky 13" (Yellow Dog) LISTEN

...Raw-voiced Fiona Boyes may just be the next female Blues rocker to break on through to bona fide album sales..."Lucky 13", is a surprisingly eclectic set of Blues, Rock, N'Awlins & Rockabilly