"chicago 2002"

Charlie Musselwhite continues his prolific four-decade career jumping over to Telarc for his first album of the millennium after spending the '90s recording for Alligator and Virgin. A recap of his formative Memphis roots, Musselwhite receives substantial assistance from guests Robben Ford on guitar (Musselwhite provided Ford with his first gigs when the guitarist was in his late teens), Texas vocalist Kelly Willis, and guitarist/mandolin player Marty Stuart; the last two bring a rootsy, laid back country feel to the album that effectively fuses the swampy C&W, R&B, and blues of Memphis into a cohesive statement. Musselwhite blows unamplified harp on every track, but it's his weathered, understated vocals that infuse these songs with down-home charm. Covers from Jimmy Reed, Los Lobos (the album takes its title from their "One Time One Night"), Ivory Joe Hunter, and Kieran Kane flow beautifully into each other as the artist masterfully blurs the lines between genres.

Chicago guitarist Jimmy Johnson didn't release his first full domestic album until he was 50 years old. He determinedly made up for lost time, establishing himself as one of the Windy City's premier blues artists with a twisting, unpredictable guitar style and a soaring, soul-dripping vocal delivery that stood out from the pack. Locally, Johnson is rated the equal of such acclaimed Chicago bluesmen as Buddy Guy, Otis Rush, Lonnie Brooks and Son Seals.

Five CD box set containing a quintet of their albums housed together in an attractive slipcase: Chicago Transit Authority (1969), Chicago II (1970), Chicago V (1972), Chicago VI (1973) and Chicago VII (1974). While Chicago are oft remembered as a Pop/Rock hit making machine, their musical roots were Jazz-oriented and this quintet of albums features the band blending their commercial sensibilities with their excellent Jazz/Rock musicianship

The last of Ace's three compilations devoted to Fulson's Kent product basically combines his late-'60s Now! album with his 1978 Lovemaker album, adding three unissued cuts and a 1972 single. Now! was actually comprised largely of 1967-1968 singles, and it's this material, which takes up the first half of the CD, that holds up best. It's loosey goosey late-'60s blues/soul crossover with a sassy attitude and adroit combinations of stinging blues guitar, strutting vocals, soulful horns, and organ, never heard better than on the opening "I'm a Drifter." Actually the Now! cuts sound better in this grouping than much of his slightly earlier '60s Kent stuff, because they're not as unduly repetitious, though they're filled out with cover versions of familiar tunes like "Funky Broadway," "Let's Go Get Stoned," and "Everyday I Have the Blues"…

Tommy McClennan would work in the cotton fields by day and in the evenings he would play on the streets of Greenwood, MS. Later he worked in juke joints and for dance parties, playing both the guitar and the piano. McClennan was a small man, standing just 4 feet 10, but this in no way negated the powerful voice that he possessed. His guitar playing is typical of the Mississippi style; simple, dominant, solid rhythms from the bass end with dashes of spikey treble riffs interjected between the vocal choruses. His voice was rough, hoarse and loud. Loud enough to be heard over the hubbub in a Mississippi juke joint on a Saturday night. Honey Boy Edwards tells of Tommy’s habit of standing in front of a mirror talking to himself…

Peter Green is one of the best guitarists of his generation and after a period in the wilderness he re-emerged in 1997 to critical acclaim with the Splinter Group. The material Peter Green recorded with the Splinter Group on five albums for Snapper Music represents a true return to form for the ex-Fleetwood Mac guitarist, including the W.C. Handy award winning album The Robert Johnson Songbook. This new vitality was confirmed on the classic limited edition double live album Soho Session (sold out week one), recorded at the world-famous Ronnie Scott's club. Then his first original material since the early '80s was presented on Destiny Road, produced by Cream lyricist Pete Brown.

After spending over a decade churning out electrified blues, Gary Moore partially returns to his hard rock beginnings in Scars. Reminiscent of '60s power trios such as Cream and especially the Jimi Hendrix Experience ("World of Confusion" is practically a rewrite of "Manic Depression" and "Ball and Chain" borrows the riff from "Voodoo Child"), Moore hasn't abandoned the blues, he's just pumped it up with blustery retro roots rock. With all the genre's limitations, the guitarist is so obviously inspired in this format that the album is a success on its own terms, even though it breaks little new ground. "Wasn't Born in Chicago" infuses jazzy drums and slight electronics to enhance the basic three-piece assault, resulting in the album's most unique and arguably best performance…