Are You Mad at Me?

Playing the role of R&B love god has always come naturally to Luther Vandross. On his Virgin debut, he eases into his groove once again. Whether he's dealing in the easy, gospel-inflected pop of album opener "Keeping My Faith in You" or the jazzy hooks of the title track (with Stevie Wonder guesting on harmonica), Vandross is in command. While the faux hip-hop of "Get It Right" (with rap by Precise) seems a bit forced, the disc is strong overall. R&B doesn't get any glossier.

This set of field recordings done in Texas in 1934 and 1939 shows the tremendous influence of Blind Lemon Jefferson, as both Pete Harris and Smith Casey, who have the bulk of the tracks here, have repertoires almost entirely based on Jefferson's work…..

Various Artists - Rhythm 'n' Bluesin' By The Bayou: Mad Dogs, Sweet Daddies & Pretty Babies (2015) {Ace Records CDCHD 1422}
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© 2015 Ace Records | CDCHD 1422
Blues / Rhythm & Blues / New Orleans R&B / Soul

Ten volumes into their seemingly never-ending, always-excellent By the Bayou series, Ace returns to R&B for Mad Dogs, Sweet Daddies & Pretty Babies. Like nearly all of its predecessors, this is primarily archival – i.e., there aren't a lot of familiar names, but there are acts that have popped up on previous Bayou installments because, at this point, it's been proven that the well is deep but not fathomless. Newly discovered cuts by unknowns can hardly be called "recycling," and this, like its cousins, is pretty close to straight-up aural dynamite.

Aptly titled, 'The Great Vocalists Of Jazz & Entertainment', culls 748 of the absolute finest recordings by top singers of the pre-rock era of the '30s, '40s & '50s.