Constant Dead Links

The extremely retro sound of Rufus Huff's self-titled album reaches back to the heyday of blues-rock in the early '70s, particularly British acts in the bluesy hard rock/nearly metal style like Led Zeppelin, Free, and Jeff Beck's early groups…..

Although lacking the hilarious slice-of-life studio banter that makes its companion album Bummer Road so priceless, this is certainly a collection of terrific Chicago blues tracks as only Sonny Boy Williamson could do it. Like the Tennessee harmonica player with whom he shared a stage name, this Sonny Boy's music comes from the country blues tradition, fair and square. The way he plays harmonica is straight out of the country, with only a slight trace of the kind of microphone and amplifier distortion that the slightly younger Little Walter would exploit. Even the way these two harmonica men solo is quite different. Williamson can and does give individual notes detailed attention, creating a sound that could make a listener think the instrument responsible must be the size of a car, not something small enough to be tucked into a shirt pocket. But he often does it in such a rhythmically supportive way that instead of a chorus of harmonica soloing with band background, the result sounds more like a coordinated ensemble statement…..

Some of the marks of excellence on a Billy Flynn CD are as predictable as they are gratifying. It's a given that the songwriting, music, and players will reflect taste, quality, a savvy knowledge and broad nuanced mastery of the blues (with special emphasis on Chicago sylings) which only a true scholar, virtuoso, and veteran could bring, and a love of exploring both styles and instruments outside of the blues guitar and vocals which remain the core of his music…..

Delta Moon – winner of the Blues Foundation's International Blues Challenge held in Memphis, February 1, 2003 – formed in the late 1990s when Gina Leigh, Mark Johnson, and Tom Gray all lived within a few blocks of each other in Atlanta's Inman Park neighborhood. The three got together regularly in Mark's livingroom to work up arrangements of classic blues and original songs for two slide guitars and voices…..

Couldn't Get It Right contains all of the Climax Blues Band's big hits from 1974 on, which means that it bypasses their earliest material – which was the closest they ever came to the blues. But it does contain all their big hits, from the title track to "Running Out of Time," making it a near-definitive retrospective. – by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Hailing from Boston, Massachusetts, The Mercy Brothers are vocalist extraordinaire Barrence Whitfield and guitarist/producer/songwriter Michael Dinallo.Barrence Whitfield, the soul man/blues shouter/country singer well known from Barrence Whitfield and the Savages, has been called, “…the owner of one incredible pair of lungs and limitless energy and enthusiasm for his music” by John Dougan, in the All Music Guide. Besides touring the world over with the Savages, Barrence has made two critically acclaimed records with Tom Russell, worked with Jim Dickinson, and has a track on the Warner Brothers album from Where I Stand: the Black Experience in Country Music released in 1998. Barrence’s track on the set is a cover of Merle Haggard's Irma Jackson.Michael Dinallo, the former bandleader/guitarist for the Radio Kings, is one Boston’s most sought after producer and guitar players. Michael has become known as the man behind the artist: “Dinallo is that rare self-effacing guitarist who eschews the spotlight” said Bill Dahl in Living Blues and “Thanks to Michael Dinallo’s dynamic production….