Luther Allsion

Now this is more like it. Johnson and his New England-based Magic Rockers sizzle the hide off the genre with tough West Side-styled grooves redolent of Johnson's Chicago upbringing but up-to-the-minute in their execution. With this set, Johnson fully came into his own as a recording artist.

The 2006 version of The Ultimate Luther Vandross swaps out some of the earlier cuts contained on the 2001 version in favor of later material, such as "Dance with My Father" and he and Beyoncé's version of "The Closer I Get to You". What's baffling is that it leaves out some major hits in favor of a pair of previously unreleased tracks (including the Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis-produced, Chic-sampling "Shine"), and the ballad Got You Home which could serve as a sequel to Take You Out (from 2001's Luther Vandross), both of which are front-loaded in the sequence. Vandross was clearly one of the greatest singers of all time and this collection shows it.

Luther "Guitar Junior" Johnson's third album for Telarc is the sonic equivalent of the sun coming out from behind the clouds, from the opening notes of the upbeat, cheerful title track to the energetic, swing-y "I'm Gone." Even songs like "Why Are People Like That" and "Suffer So Hard with the Blues" can't bring this album down; they'll elicit more empathy than depression. This is a soul-injected, high-quality collection of Chicago-style blues in the best West Side tradition, and it's every bit as good as you'd expect from someone who's played with such luminaries as Muddy Waters and Magic Sam. Whether he's covering Sam Cooke's "Somebody Have Mercy" or heading more for traditional blues with "Ramblin' Blues," there's no question that Johnson is one of the best there is at melding musical traditions to create something distinctive, keeping things exciting all the way.

2007 four CD box set, the first career-spanning celebration of the amazing artist who has sold over 30 million albums, won eight Grammy Awards and garnered 15 platinum and multi-platinum albums. From his early work as a jingle-singer and sessions with the ground-breaking studio group Change to his superstar collaborations, his voice and vision redefined the art of popular singing. 56 stunning songs on four CDs (over four hours of music) featuring three previously unreleased tracks and two previously unreleased demos. Includes collaborations with Beyonce, Aretha Franklin, Burt Bacharach, Dionne Warwick, Frank Sinatra and many others. Also contains hard-to-find twelve-inch single mixes, live performances and other surprises.

The second of three Allison albums issued on Motown's Gordy subsidiary in the 1970s, Luther's Blues captures the guitarist's uncovered-wire sound in its full glory. The crescendo ending of "Let's Have a Little Talk," one of five Allison originals here, is more than another standard variation on crowd-pleasing clichés. It's an apocalyptic, blues-wailing roar, with Allison's pleading vocal at its core. Berry Gordy turns up in the composer credits for one tune, "Someday Pretty Baby," which, along with "Part Time Love," trawls the company's early raw-edged back catalog. Even the funk-flavored "K.T."–an attempted hit single?–fits the mood. The three bonus tracks on this exemplary remaster nearly double the original LP's length, with a raw version of Freddy King's "San-Ho-Zay" glowing alongside an alternate version of Allison's "Bloomington Closing" and a lengthy medley from the 1973 Ann Arbor Blues Festival.

Another barn-burner mixing the guitarist's West-side roots with soul and blues shadings to present some of the fieriest contemporary blues on the market. Saxist Gordon Beadle and keyboardist Joe Krown distinguish themselves behind Johnson.

Soul Fixin' Man was blues guitarist/vocalist Luther Allison's first American recording in nearly 20 years. However, his domestic inactivity was not because Allison had stopped playing music. Far from it, since he was based in Paris and worked constantly on the European continent. A powerful player whose intensity on this set sometimes borders on rock (although remaining quite grounded in blues), Luther Allison (who contributed eight of the dozen songs) displays the large amount of musical growth he had experienced since the mid-'70s. Joined by his quintet, the Memphis Horns, and (on "Freedom") a choir, Allison is heard throughout in top form.

Serious marks the beginning of Luther Allison's late-'80s/early-'90s hot streak. The more streamlined, rock-oriented approach actually is a benefit, since it gives Allison a shot of energy that makes his guitar simply burn all the way through the record.

Luther Allison seemed to be on a roll when he died in 1998. He was back home after many years in Europe, and was winning awards and making a good living. This, his debut album, was cut in 1969 when he was 30 years old. He sang as if barely able to keep a lid on his emotion, and the elegance and precision of his guitar playing belied the fact that he had only been playing the instrument for a few years. If this debut can be faulted it's only in that it relies too heavily on overfamiliar standards like "Little Red Rooster," "Five Long Years," "Dust My Broom," "Sky Is Crying," and "Every Night About This Time." The CD reissue has been expanded with alternate takes and bonus cuts.