Earl King

The quirky guitarist with the endlessly wavy hair made it two winners in a row with this one. Snooks Eaglin guests on guitar for three tracks (including the hilarious "Big Foot" and a joyous "No City like New Orleans," while Porter and drummer Herman Ernest III lay down scintillating grooves behind King's ringing axe and wise vocals.

The coupling of funky Crescent City guitarist Earl King with the East Coast-based Roomful of Blues wasn't exactly made in heaven (the band excels at jump blues; at second-line beats, they're fairly clueless), but it did mark the beginning of King's heartwarming comeback as a recording artist. King's songwriting skills were certainly in fine shape: "It All Went Down the Drain," "Iron Cupid," and "Love Rent" were typically well-observed originals.

This killer little set features the great Earl King doing what he does best, playing R&B-oriented blues and jump tunes. Recorded in 1977 for the Sonet label - a label that imported American blues greats to play with British and European session players - this volume is ragged but right. There is an exercise in funky blues on "Trick Bag." But it's the more driving, soul-oriented tunes that work best, as evidenced by "Always a First Time," "Time for That Sun to Rise," and "The Picnic's On."

Guitarist Ronnie Earl recorded the majority of the instrumental release I Feel Like Goin' On live in the studio with no overdubbing. As one of the best contemporary blues guitarists around, Earl naturally shows off his prowess on these 11 cuts, with sturdy assistance from Dave Limina on piano/organ, Jimmy Mouradian on bass, Lorne Entress on drums, and special guest guitarist José Alvares. On the whole, I Feel Like Goin' On is tight, passionate, and gritty, especially on the soul-blues of "Hey José," "Blues for Otis Rush," "Howlin' for My Darlin'," and "Travelin' Heavy." While the majority of the album is uptempo, Earl does slow down the pace on the beautiful ballad "Donna" and the traditional gospel-flavored "Mary Don't You Weep," featuring the only vocal appearance on the disc, by the Silver Leaf Gospel Singers.

The great soul legend Ben E. King is joined by friends and admirers on these recut versions of King’s most beloved hits! King’s voice sounds as good as ever on this collection while funky bass icon Bootsy Collins breathes new life into “Supernatural Thing, Part 1” while up-and-coming R&B artist Bette Smith joins blues guitar phenom Ronnie Earl on a rousing version of “Stand By Me!” King’s influence can continue to be felt and heard in retro soul artists such as Black Pumas, Joss Stone and more!

Although not released until 1995, this CD was recorded live in 1993 in Bremen, Germany. Live in Europe is Earl's tribute to his major influences, and Ronnie plays his favorite guitar throughout: a 1962 red Strat. The fast, driving "San-Ho-Zay" and "Blues for the West Side" go out to Magic Sam; "The Stumble" to Freddie King; "Thank You Mr. T-Bone" to T-Bone Walker and Duke Robillard (who inspired Earl to learn T-Bone). "Thank You Mr. T-Bone" features some cool call-and-response between Earl and Bruce Katz on the Hammond B-3. It segues nicely into "Akos," where you'll find more great B-3 (check out the improvised "Summertime" riff). An all-instrumental offering, Live in Europe includes a handful of tunes found on its predecessor, Still River, including "Szeren," "Rego Park Blues," and the aforementioned "Blues for the West Side." "Contrition," a slow, soulful tune penned by Katz, has some jaw-dropping runs by Earl. One can only imagine what it must have been like to be one of the lucky souls at this show. The only fault to be found on this album is the mislabeling of several tunes on the cover. (For example, "The Stumble" is listed as "Not Now Kovitch.") Still, it's this reviewer's all-time favorite album – thank you, Mr. Earl.

There wasn't any musical generation gap between young Chicago guitarist Specter and his much older front man Barkin' Bill Smith. Specter's love for the electrified 1950s styles of Magic Sam, T-Bone Walker, and B.B. King blended well with Smith's deep, almost crooning baritone pipes on what was the debut album for both men. Lots of breezy swing informs the retro-styled set.