Johnny Mastro & Mama's Boys Elmore James For President (2021)

With the confusing plethora of Elmore James discs out on the market, this is truly the place to start, featuring the best of his work culled from several labels. Highlights include James' original recording of "Dust My Broom," "It Hurts Me Too," "T.V. Mama" (with Elmore backing Big Joe Turner), and the title track, one of the best slow blues ever created. Slide guitar doesn't get much better than this, making this particular compilation not only a perfect introduction to Elmore's music, but an essential piece for any blues collection.

The various white lead guitar gods who began to garner so much critical press during the rock explosion of the late '60s owe more than a lot to Elmore James. While working as a radio repairman in the early '50s, James spent hours rewiring speakers and amplifiers so that they would deliver the kind of harsh and distorted sound he favored when he played electric guitar through them, and that act of rebuilding amps alone would have made him an unsung hero to rock guitarists everywhere a decade or so later, but James also happened to be a pretty damn good player himself, and there may well not be a more powerful and exciting sound on Earth than James' trademark "Dust My Broom" slide guitar riff, which bottled megawatts of power, energy, and passion into one swooping rush…

A 6 CD set by the King of Slide Guitars a true Blues legend. Highly recommended.

Cut of the same cloth as his famous father, Elmore James, Jr. is a legitimate blues man in the best sense. He plays electric guitar and sings quite well, not with the intensity of his dad, but that shouldn't be expected. What he has become is a seasoned professional with the right attitude, consistently interpreting Chicago-style 12-bar blues without watering it down. In a world where contemporary pop and soul have invaded authentic blues, what James is laying down is definitely the real thing. It's also commendable that he borrows from a repertoire of well-known songs, while adding others that have a certain flair and originality, keeping the fire of his legendary father burning brightly on both ends.

Since the release of his first CD, Elmore James, Jr. has won a Living Blues award, been touring more frequently, and is firmly establishing his own style of electric modern blues in his dad's image. This album with his backup band, the Broomdusters, shows he's much more than just a chip off the ol' block, as his slide guitar work sounds more distinctively like Elmore James, while his voice is not as rough and tumble. He's also more assertive as a songwriter, but is ever mindful of the tradition by covering famous songs from the classic Chicago blues repertoire. There's a sense of value and purpose heard on every track, as James, Jr. grows with confidence on several levels, making for a solid effort that one can go back to for repeat listenings.