Someday

Robin Trower's peak commercial period occurred during the mid-'70s, when the bluesy guitarist specialized in a style that relied heavily on the power of the almighty riff (as evidenced by just about any selection from his best known release, 1974's Bridge of Sighs). But on his 1997 offering, Someday Blues, Trower tries a different approach, as he cuts back on the Jimi Hendrix-esque riffing, and focuses more on Albert King-style licks, and letting Hammond organ fill in much of the open spaces. This approach is best sampled on "Feels So Bad" (which features some great vocalizing by Trower – who handles all singing on the album as well) and the slow-burning title track. And for fans of a classic, searing Fender Strat tone, the album-closing "Sweet Little Angel" is a must-hear. While there's nothing here that matches the six-string pyrotechnics of, say, "Day of the Eagle," Trower still proves to be a major blues-rock force on Someday Blues. It's just that now Trower puts an added emphasis on the "blues" rather than the "rock."

The Bottom Of The Top (1973). There weren't many blues albums issued during the early '70s that hit harder than this one. First out on the short-lived Playboy logo, the set firmly established Walker as a blistering axeman sporting enduring Gulf Coast roots despite his adopted L.A. homebase. Of all the times he's cut the rocking "Hello My Darling," this is indeed the hottest, while his funky, horn-driven revival of Lester Williams's "I Can't Lose (With the Stuff I Lose)" and his own R&B-drenched "It's All in Your Mind" are irresistible. After-hours renditions of Sam Cooke's "Laughing & Clowning" and Long John Hunter's "Crazy Girl" are striking vehicles for Walker's twisting, turning guitar riffs and impassioned vocal delivery…