Best Blues CDs

Feels Like Rain

Amazon Price: $5.71 (as of 05/30/2012)
List Price: $11.98

This is a great introduction to some serious blues playing. It's hard blues at its best. Yes, there are 12 bar blues progressions on this album, but they're played so well and with so much energy, you'll hardly notice. This is how the blues is meant to be played. Full-on with no hesitation.

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Sky Is Crying-Stevie Ray Vaughan

Amazon Price: $6.00 (as of 05/30/2012)

I had trouble deciding whether to list this CD or Live Alive!. Both are good albums and it really comes down to whether you prefer studio or live albums. In the end, I chose this one because, right from the opening bars of Boot Hill, the scene is set for a storming blues album. The album was released by his brother Jimmy after Stevie Ray Vaughan's death. Best track is Little Wing, although Chitlin's Con Carne and Life by The Drop both have their own place.

Where The Light Is:John Mayer Live In Los Angeles

Amazon Price: $7.61 (as of 05/30/2012)
List Price: $9.98

This is a 3-set CD and it's the 3rd set that caught my attention from a blues angle. It features the John Mayer trio playing some hard blues rock. There are powerful interpretations of Jimi Hendrix Experience's tracks Wait Until Tomorrow and Bold as Love. Not many bands are able to pull those off to this extent.

If you're looking for a good blues album, this is a great start and just treat the other two sets as a bonus.

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Cold Snap

Amazon Price: $12.50 (as of 05/30/2012)

Albert Collins was one of the greats. He made his Telecaster make sounds that few others have achieved. Add to that a gravelly blues voice and a playful sense of humour and you end up with a blues package that's really worth listening to. As much as the fast-paced tracks rule the album, Too Many Dirty Dishes slows it down and stands out as a track to make you listen to the story behind the lyrics.

Electric Ladyland

Amazon Price: $18.51 (as of 05/30/2012)
List Price: $13.98

You're probably familiar with the blues-influenced, grinding rhythms of Are You Experienced, especially Fire, Purple Haze or Foxy Lady, yet Electric Ladyland shows more maturity and experimentation, still with blues roots. The pace is generally slower than that on Are You Experienced, allowing Hendrix to shine through in ways he wasn't able to on previous albums. Each track is good, some great (the definitive cover of All Along The Watchtower, Voodoo Chile), some a bit trippy, but all thought out.

There's a rawness to these recording rarely found on studio albums.

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Black Country Communion (CD/DVD)

Amazon Price: $9.99 (as of 05/30/2012)

Black Country Communion features an interesting combination of characters; Glenn Hughes (solo artist, ex-Deep Purple, ex-HTP), Joe Bonamassa, Jason Bonham and Derek Sherinian. The album includes some of the best, most powerful blues this side of Buddy Guy. It's a different style, leaning towards a heavier sound than traditional blues. That only adds to make it more memorable now. This was one of the best albums I bought last year and I'm already waiting for the follow-up.

Definitive Ray Charles

Amazon Price: $21.07 (as of 05/30/2012)
List Price: $35.99

There's a long career documented on this double CD. Ranging from soulful and moody through energetic to funny. The man was a master of his art and it shows.