The Fabulous Thunderbirds - Live (2001)
Blues-Rock | MP3 192 Kbps | 88 MB
Publisher: CMC International

Like spiritually similar brethren George Thorogood (only with a Tex-Mex flair, natch), the Thunderbirds have released a live disc on the CMC imprint. This appropriately monikered Live does a fine job of displaying the hits, namely "Wrap It Up" and "Tuff Enuff," and that alone would make it a decent primer for the band, though purists would no-doubt be able to find one or a dozen missing gems from the band's vast catalog. Gearheads will appreciate the modern technology used to capture the band's set — this is outlined nicely in the liner notes, though those same liner notes refer to the disc as This Night in L.A., which is bound to create confusion.

The Fabulous Thunderbirds - High Water (1997)
Blues-Rock | MP3 320 Kbps | 126 MB
Publisher: High Street

Although credited to the Fabulous Thunderbirds, High Water was written and performed by bandleader Kim Wilson with guitarist Danny Kortchmar and percussionist Steve Jordan, who produced the album, and it does not feature the rest of the current T-Birds lineup, which, in any case, has long since devolved into a backup band for Wilson. Kortchmar and Jordan are not exactly authentic bluesmen, of course, but instead high-priced sessionmen, and they provide a tightly arranged, somewhat antiseptic accompaniment to Wilson, whose vocals and harmonica playing are the focus. Longtime fans may miss the prominent guitar work and band feel that characterized earlier releases.

Although there was no Fabulous Thunderbirds album by the name of Girls Go Wild prior to this 2000 release, this is actually a repackaged version of their self-titled 1979 debut. It has all of the songs from The Fabulous Thunderbirds, in the same sequence, but adds three bonus tracks, as well as liner notes by producer Denny Bruce. Why the title change? Well, because the lettering "Girls Go Wild" was so prominent on the cover, it became unofficially known as their "Girls Go Wild" album, and for this reissue, the title change is official. At any rate, it's still the group at their early bluesy best. No hard info about the bonus cuts though, except that all three, oddly, were recorded after drummer Fran Christina (who did not play on the debut album) joined. One of those bonus songs, "Things I Forgot to Do," is an outtake from the band's third album, Butt Rockin', and features members of Roomful of Blues.

The Fabulous Thunderbirds - Butt Rockin' (1981)
Blues-Rock | MP3 320 Kbps | 65 MB
Publisher: Chrysalis

As with most bands who reach back into styles more than a couple of decades old for their chief inspirations, the limitations of the Fabulous Thunderbirds' approach was becoming apparent by this, their third album. Granted they were still more competent and enthusiastic at their specialty than most of their competition, and they did expand their recorded sound a bit by using some members of Roomful of Blues on sax and piano. Ultimately, though, it's an average if well-done set of roots rock with strong echoes of the blues, New Orleans R&B, and swamp-pop. The program's split between Kim Wilson originals (one of which, "One's Too Many," was co-written with Nick Lowe) and covers, including an unpredictable version of "Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White." Actually the highlight is the instrumental "In Orbit," which features excellent Little Walter-styled harmonica by Wilson. The 2000 CD reissue on Benchmark adds liner notes by producer Denny Bruce and three bonus tracks, although no details about the extra cuts are provided.

Elvin Bishop - The Skin I'm In (1998)
Blues | MP3 320 Kbps | 112 MB
Publisher: Alligator

Elvin keeps the cornpone good-ole-boy schtick down to an acceptable level on this, perhaps his most serious solo album to date. Although Bishop's good-time approach is still evident on tunes like "I'm Gone," "Right Now Is the Hour," the acoustic "Radio Boogie" (with a guest shot from Charlie Musselwhite) and "Country Blues," the playing and lyrics get much deeper and more serious with "Shady Lane," "The Skin They're In," "Middle Aged Man" and "Long Shadows." Perhaps the most cohesive album he's made to date, revealing an artist coming to grips with his muse, his age and his art, all at once.

Elvin Bishop - Let It Flow (1974)
Blues | MP3 256 KBPS | 82 MB
Publisher: One Way

For his fourth album, Elvin Bishop organized a new backup group and switched to Capricorn Records. Capricorn was known as the standard bearer of the Southern rock movement—the Allman Brothers Band, The Marshall Tucker Band, etc.—and Bishop was able to emphasize the country/blues aspects of his persona and his music in the move from Marin County, California, to Macon, Georgia. The guest artists included the Allmans' Dickey Betts, Marshall Tucker's Toy Caldwell, Charlie Daniels, and Sly Stone, and Bishop turned in one of his best sets of songs, including "Travelin' Shoes" (with its Allmans-like twin lead guitar work), which became his first charting single, just as the album was his first to make the Top 100 LPs.

Elvin Bishop - Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby (1981)
Blues | MP3 192 Kbps | 58 MB
Publisher: Line Records

The band remained with Capricorn throughout the rest of the 1970s, releasing Hometown Boy Makes Good! in 1976. A live album, Raisin' Hell, was released in 1977 to capitalize on the group's enduring popularity. A return to the studio resulted in Hog Heaven, released in 1978. None of these albums, however, was able to match the popularity of Struttin' My Stuff. Faced with its decline in popularity, the band opted to dissolve at the end of the decade, ending its affiliation with Capricorn after the release of Best of Elvin Bishop in 1979.
Bishop was relatively quiet for much of the next decade, after releasing Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby in 1981. In 1988 he returned to active duty, signing with Alligator Records and effectively returning to his blues roots. That year's Big Fun marked the debut of Bishop with his new label, followed by 1991's Don't Let the Bossman Get You Down. In 1995 Bishop released Ace in the Hole and also performed on the first solo album of his former mentor, Smokey Smothers. The 1998 album The Skin I'm In addresses, among other things, the artist's experience of growing older. In January of 2000, Bishop's career appeared to close the circle when Smokey Smothers joined him onstage for three nights of sold-out shows in San Francisco. The performances were captured on That's My Partner!, released later that year.

Elvin Bishop - Gettin' My Groove Back (2005)
Blues | MP3 320 Kbps | 95 MB
Publisher: Blind Pig

Gettin' My Groove Back, the first new studio album from Elvin Bishop in five years, and the first since his daughter Selina was murdered in 2000, is an understandingly split affair, part catharsis as he deals with his tragic loss, and part the kind of rocking party record that has been Bishop's trademark in the past. Needless to say, the two parts don't necessarily fit together that well, and while Bishop's stinging guitar playing bridges the gap somewhat, it is the ragged, angry lead track, "What the Hell Is Going On," and the harrowing "Come on Blues," which features Bishop solo with just an electric guitar, that linger in the mind when this set concludes, making tracks like "Party Til the Cows Come Home" seem criminally frivolous. That said, the goofy, washboard-driven "He's a Dog" is a hillbilly delight, while an instrumental version of Don Gibson's "Sweet Dreams" features some absolutely wonderful and emotionally powerful slide guitar work from Bishop, who obviously understands that the blues is, among other things, a kind of therapy. There was probably no way for Bishop to avoid the kind of emotional split apparent in this set, and while party songs about when the cows come home have their place, particularly as part of a live show, a track like "What the Hell Is Going On" asks the exact right question and ought to be all over the radio. That it isn't — and won't be —is an indictment of the times. It's a great song, and since it leads off this album, it casts a giant shadow over everything that follows it. Everyone — not just Bishop — desperately needs the answer to the question it asks.

Elvin Bishop - Booty Bumpin' (2007)
Blues | MP3 320 Kbps | 101 MB
Publisher: Blind Pig

Booty Bumpin' is a joyous, down home set from blues guitarist Elvin Bishop and his six-piece band, recorded live on December 3, 2006 at Constable Jack's in California. Bishop is probably best known for the 1976 hit "Fooled Around and Fell in Love," and has maintained a loyal blues following since his early days as a member of the Butterfield Blues Band. On Bishop's second release for Blind Pig, he and his co-horts apply a good-natured heat to 12 tracks that stylistically shift between Chicago blues, Cajun, New Orleans R&B, and a hint of Southern rock, driven by the leader's raw slide guitar and keen sense of humor. Along with several Bishop originals are a few choice cover versions including Roy Milton's "Keep a Dollar in Your Pocket," Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown's "I Feel Alright Again" and the Allen Toussaint composition "I'm Gone." Booty Bumpin' is definitely a timeless, no-nonsense party album.

Tab Benoit & Jimmy Thackery - Whiskey Store (2002)
Blues | MP3 320 Kbps | 115 MB
Publisher: Telarc

The first summit meeting for these two journeymen roots-blues-rock guitarists is a rousing triumph. On paper, Tab Benoit's less aggressive New Orleans style wouldn't seem to mesh with Jimmy Thackery's boozy, tough, rough and tumble approach. But like Lennon and McCartney, each complements the other. Benoit lets his Delta and Texas-styled roots seep into the proceedings, tempering Thackery's more bombastic leads. Stevie Ray Vaughan's Double Trouble rhythm section and keyboardist Reese Wynans provide dexterous support, as does ace harp master Charlie Musselwhite. Most importantly, this isn't just a bunch of songs built around endless jams. The selections are mostly covers, but the wide range of writers involved — from Bob Dylan, the Stones, and Neil Young to obscurities from legends like Percy Mayfield and Eddie Jones — shows the scope of the guitarists' influences. Only on the Benoit-penned slow blues "Nice and Warm" — reprised from his solo debut and at almost eight minutes the album's longest track — do the guitar pyrotechnics overwhelm the song. But even here, the musicians are obviously inspired by each other and deliver dazzling solos, each more jaw-dropping than the last. Everything sizzles, yet a mid-album detour into a laid-back version of Neil Young's country-ish ballad "Unknown Legend" works surprisingly well, especially with Musselwhite's poignant harp solo. Jagger/Richards' "The Last Time" gets a rootsy rave-up treatment, as does Dylan's "Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat," and the duo clicks into shuffle mode on Thackery's instrumental Freddie King tribute, "Freddy's Combo." For the most part, the over the top guitar shenanigans this partnership threatens thankfully never materialize, with both six-string benders providing short, succinct, yet scorching solos within the framework of the tunes. Lead vocals are shared, although Benoit is clearly the better singer, with Thackery's rasp getting by on sheer enthusiasm. A treat for fans of both artists as well as a stirring contemporary electric blues album by any yardstick, Whiskey Store successfully joins two gifted guitarists in a session that proves greater than the sum of its very talented parts.

Tab Benoit - Standing On The Bank (1995)
Blues | MP3 VBR Extreme L.A.M.E. | 71 MB
Publisher: Vanguard

On his third album, Tab Benoit stripped his sound to its bare essentials by recording live, directly to a two-track. Naturally, the process gives Standing on the Bank a startling immediacy, as the guitarist shreds a number of originals to pieces with his piercing solos.

Tab Benoit's debut album Nice & Warm is a startingly fresh debut. The guitarist has a gutsy, fuel-injected style that adds real spice to his swampy blues. Benoit draws equally from the Louisiana and Texas traditions and Nice & Warm proves it; not only does he carry on the tradition, he offers a fresh take on it as well.

Tab Benoit - Live: Swampland Jam (1997)
Blues | MP3 192 Kbps | 91 MB
Publisher: Vanguard

This is by far the best album this Louisiana blues/swamp-rocker has come up with to date. Benoit is playing with basically a three-piece, with Doug Therrien on bass and Allyn Robinson on drums. The rest of the sound is filled in by various guests, some exceedingly strong Louisiana players. Therein lives both the problem and the strength of this disc — the sound is a bit thin when there's no guest taking up some space. Only on the slow burner "Heart of Stone" and "Gone Too Long" does the basic band fill up the airwaves. The music is good, but without that fourth player, it doesn't have enough density. When there is another player, the sound is as gritty and raw as they come — Cajun-based blues with a swampy sensuality. Benoit's singing and guitar playing have taken giant steps forward and are up there with the best.

Tab Benoit - Best of The Bayou Blues (2006)
Blues | MP3 192 Kbps | 112 MB
Publisher: Vanguard

Tab Benoit's funky, ragged blend of Louisiana swamp blues and East Texas guitar, with hints of funk, soul, and country thrown in to give the gumbo just the right spice, has served him well since he burst on the scene in the early '90s. Since Benoit hasn't essentially changed his sound since, this collection of sides made up largely from his early releases for Houston-based Justice Records (all of Benoit's Justice albums have been reissued by Vanguard Records in recent years) makes an ideal introduction to what this guy is all about, and although Best of the Bayou Blues covers a five-year span from 1992 to 1997, the tracks all fall together in a completely coherent sequence. Opening with the Benoit original "Voodoo on the Bayou" from 1992's Nice & Warm and running through several originals and some interesting covers (including country-funk takes on Hank Williams' "Jambalaya" and Willie Nelson's "Rainy Day Blues"), this set spotlights Benoit's southern Louisiana take on contemporary blues. He also delivers a stomping version of Willie Dixon's classic "The Seventh Son" and turns zydeco for a fiery live take of Clifton Chenier's "Hot Tamale Baby." Initially one is drawn to Benoit's laser-guided guitar tone, but he is also a fine and soulful singer, and there is more than a little country in his approach as well. What makes him stand out in the crowded field of contemporary blues guitar wizards is the fact that he is fully grounded in the Louisiana bayou region, and he embraces local musical traditions while also bringing a distinctly modern vision to what he does. Benoit knows what he wants to do, he knows where to draw inspiration, and with his strong guitar playing and warm, flexible vocals, he knows how to make it happen.

Boo Boo Davis - The Snake (2004)
Blues | MP3 224 Kbps | 80 MB
Publisher: Black & Tan

The third album by St. Louis' Boo Boo Davis, 2004's The Snake, is a small departure for the singer and harmonica player. Where 2001's East St. Louis and 2002's Can Man were straight up old-school electric blues with a very strong early Chicago influence, The Snake hedges its stylistic bets by incorporating more of an R&B feel more along the lines of Robert Cray's soulful but poppy albums. The problem is that the album doesn't commit itself fully either to Davis' early Howlin' Wolf-oriented style (the old-school pomade anthem "Crown Royal," which incorporates a vocal sound that approximates the classic old Chess Records' sound) or to the newfound, sleeker and more stylish direction (the smooth "Where Was My Baby," which one assumes Bonnie Raitt has on her "to cover" checklist), which makes it sound a bit scattered and unfocused. Davis acquits himself well on the soul-influenced material, and a full album of it would be quite enjoyable, but this, unfortunately, is not that album.