I'm finding that my taste for new blues is leaning more and more to good and original songwriting over flashy instrumental prowess.
Distinctive and original voices can be hard to find in any genre though, so below are a few of my favourites, and I'd welcome anybody else pitching in with some of theirs
Rather than strict blues most of my choices colour outside the lines a little; influenced by Americana or perhaps modern primitives like Tom Waits.
Jeff Turmes (who seems to have played with just about everyone; Mavis Staples, his partner Janiva Magness, James Harman, Gray Primich, Tom Waits, Kim Wilson etc )
Keb' Mo' is one of my favorites. "Perpetual Blues Machine" is a masterpiece of contemporary blues songwriting.
I also like John Lee Hooker, Jr. He writes stream of consciousness lyrics and he uses words that just shouldn't WORK in blues lyrics, but they do. He jams too many words into his lines, but they work.
"She said Because I just mopped in the front room and it was still kinda wet." That line, all of it, shows up in the middle of "Suspicious."
"Extramarital Affair" is much more representative of his songwriting. Just listen to the first two choruses. No other contemporary singer squeezes this many words into his lines, and no other singer can pull this sort of thing off. I just like the hell out of what he does. This is what MODERN sounds like, without sacrificing the deep blues:
Last Edited by kudzurunner on Jun 23, 2013 1:58 PM
I saw keb mo in concert last spring....he did love in vain and some old standards....but mostly songs he wrote.....was disappointed he did not play henry....my favorite of his....maybe I should have shouted it out
Thanks all for your suggestions. Some I knew like Keb Mo and Eric Bibb, but I had no idea that Mighty Mo Rogers had such an individual sound. Impressed with John Lee Hooker Jnr too, especially as I had assumed that he was just retreading his father's groove.
First post , want to give a Big Thank You to AG for all he's doing to preserve and pass on the music to folks ! ! It takes some serious dedication and I'm sure some sacrifice along the way ...
For modern in the blues genera : Check out :
Mitch Kashmar
A very accomplished composer/writer, vocalist & harp player. ALL his work on the harp is tongue blocking ! (in one of AG's harp study vid's he goes over some of Mitch's 1st position work on his Dirty Deal) His first album Mitch & the Pontiax : 9 of 12 songs are his own. '100 miles to go' ....from the 80's is still one of my favorite listens .. though admittedly I am biased - growing up in the same city at the same time .. watching him come up .. being friends Glad to see he's finally starting to get some of the attention he deserves !
Petroleum Blues
A bit outside the box :
Norton Buffalo
His earlier work from the 70's & 80's has some great stories, singing & harp work ... his album: ' Lovin' in the Valley of the Moon' my favorite of his work ... Hanging Tree is a good example of writing a story & playing around with voice ! Man could he put some music together ... and had a great sense of humor : ) Worked with a ton of folks ... was Steve Millers harp player for a long time then with Roy Rogers doing mostly Delta orientated blues ...
Enjoy, MC
Last Edited by mastercaster on Jul 01, 2013 8:33 AM
