Top 25 Blues-December 2002

by Marlee Walker-KEXP 90.3FM

TOP 100 BLUES CD'S OF 2002

The mother of all lists of the year for NW blues fans...we start the list from all of the full length releases we were sent from last December thru this November. Then, we get input from our writers and other secret sources to come up with this A-Z list (because there is no heirarchy for art) of some of the best blues CD releases of the year 2002, including a few gospel and r&b releases, Northwest hotties too, plus a few worthy re-issues for good measure (give or take a few, as we are only human) If we missed something you consider essential, please contact us (email: info@bluestodo.com, ph: 206-328-0662, or P.O. Box 22950, Seattle, WA 98122):

Bernard Allison: Storms of Life - Tone-Cool
Mose Allison: The Mose Chronicles-Live In London, Vol. 1 - Blue Note
Steve Bailey & the Blue Flames: Bailey's Blues - Bluestown
Tab Benoit: Wetlands - Telarc
Tab Benoit/Jimmy Thackery/Charlie Musselwhite: Whiskey Store - Telarc
Blind Boys of Alabama: Higher Ground - Realworld
Marc Breitfelder & Jack Cook: Feed My Body To The Fishes But My Soul To The Lord Above - Rudolphon
James Brown: Live At The Apollo Vol. II-Deluxe Ed.(2 CD set) - Polydor
Precious Bryant: Fool Me Good - Terminus
Solomon Burke: Soul Alive! - Rounder
Michael Burks: Make It Rain - Alligator
Little Milton Campbell: Guitar Man - Malaco
John Cephas & Phil Wiggins: Somebody Told The Truth - Alligator
Popa Chubby: The Good, The Bad, and The Chubby - Blind Pig
W.C. Clark: From Austin With Soul - Alligator
Deborah Coleman: Soul Be It - Blind Pig
Shemekia Copeland: Talking to Stangers - Alligator
James Cotton Blues Band: 35th Anniversary Jam - Telarc
Guy Davis: Give In Kind - Red House
CeDell Davis & Friends: When Lightnin' Struck The Pine - Fast Horse
Jimmy Dawkins: West Side Guitar Hero - Fedora Records
Dr. John: Creole Moon - Blue Note
Little Bill Engelhart & The Blue Notes: One Night Only - Monkey Hat
Sue Foley: Where the Action is... - Shanachie
Robben Ford: Blue Moon - Concord
T-Model Ford: Bad Man - Anti
Isaac Freeman & The Bluebloods: Beautiful Stars - Lost Highway
David Gogo: Halfway to Memphis - Dixiefrog Records
Buddy Guy: The Best of...The Millennium Collection - Chess/MCA
Harmonica Playboy & His Midnight Movers: Lick My Soul! - self
Corey Harris: Downhome Sophisticate - Rounder
The Holmes Brothers: Righteoous - Rounder
Rick Holmstrom: Hydraulic Groove - Tone-Cool
John Lee Hooker: Real Folk Blues/More Real Folk Blues - Chess/MCA
The Impressions: Ultimate Collection - Hip-O
Etta James and the Roots Band: Burnin' Down The House - Private
Steve James & Del Rey: Twins - Hobemian
Jimmy Johnson: Pepper's Hangout - Delmark
Syl & Jimmy Johnson: Two Johnsons Are Better Than One - Evidence
Big Jack Johnson & Kim Wilson: The Memphis Barbecue Sessions - M.C.
J.W. Jones Blues Band: Bogarts Bounce - Northern Blues
Junior Kimbrough: You Better Run The Essential - Fat Possom
Jimmy King: Live At Monterey - Bullseye Blues
Albert King: Born Under A Bad Sign - Stax
Willie King & the Liberators: Living in a New World - Rooster Blues
Lazy Lester: Blues Stop Knockin' - Texas Music Group
Leadbelly: Absolutely The Best - Fuel 2000
J.B. Lenoir: Mojo Boogie - Fuel 2000
Lil' Ed & The Blues Imperials: Heads Up - Alligator
Little Charlie & The Nightcats: That's Big! - Alligator
Doug Macleod: A Little Sin - Black & Tan
Magic Slim & The Teardrops: Blue Magic - Blind Pig
John Mayall: The Turning Point - Polydor
John Mayall: Back To The Roots - Polydor
Delbert McClinton: Room To Breathe - New West
Mississippi Fred McDowell: I Do Not Play No Rock 'n' Roll - Fuel 2000
Mississipi Fred McDowell: Mama Says I'm Crazy - Fat Possum
Coco Montoya: Can't Look Back - Alligator
Eric "Two Scoops" Moore: Music Cafe - Two Scoops
Mike Morgan & The Crawl: Texas Man - Severn
Nick Moss & the Flip Tops: Blue Bella - self
Asie Payton: Just Do Me Right - Fat Possum/Epitaph
Jerry Portnoy: Down In The Mood Room - TinyTown
Toni Price: Midnight Pumpkin - Texas Music Group/Antones
Gary Primich: Dog House Music - Antones
Louisiana Red: A Different Shade of Red - The Woodstock Sessions - Severn Records
Bill Rhodes and The Party Kings: Don't Lose Your Kool - Bush Master
Duke Robillard: Living With the Blues - Stony Plain
Roy Rogers: Slideways - Evidence
Roy Rogers & Norton Buffalo: Roots of Our Nature - Blind Pig
Son Seals: Deluxe Edition - Alligator
John Sinclair & His Blues Scholars: Fattening Frogs For Snakes: The Delta Sound - Rooster/Okra-Tone
Lil' Buck Sinegal: Bad Situation - Lucky Cat
John Stephan Band: Ninety Nine Degrees - Good Food
Alice Stuart: Can't Find No Heaven - Burnside
Koko Taylor: Deluxe Edition - Alligator
Otis Taylor: Respect The Dead - NorthernBlues Music
Susan Tedeschi: Wait For Me - Artemis/Tone-Cool
Jimmy Thackery & the Drivers: We Got It - Telarc
The Word: The Word - ropeadope
Chris Thomas King: Dirty South Hip-Hop Blues - 21st Century Blues
Chris Thomas King: The Legend of Tommy Johnson - Valley Entertainment
Various: Hey Bo Diddley - A Tribute! - Evidence
Various: Preachin' The Blues-The Music of Mississippi Fred McDowell - Telarc Blues
Various: Bill Wyman's Blues Odyssey - (2 CD set) Document
Various: The Blues White Album - Telarc
Various: Mississippi Blues - Putumayo World Music
Various: When The Sun Goes Down: Volumes 1-4 - (4 CD set) Bluebird/RCA/Victor
Various Artists: From Clarksdale To Heaven: Remembering John Lee Hooker - Blue Storm
Various Artists: The Land Where The Blues Began - Rounder
Various-Soundtrack: Big Bad Love - Nonesuch
Joe Louis Walker: In The Morning - Telarc
Phillip Walker Big Band: Live at Biscuits & Blues - MC Records
Muddy Waters: Real Folk Blues/More Real Folk Blues - Chess/MCA
Chuck E. Weiss: Old Souls & Wolf Tickets - Ryko
Lightnin' Wells: Ragged But Right - Music Maker
Jody Williams: Return Of A Legend - Evidence Music
Sonny Boy Williamson: Real Folk Blues/More Real Folk Blues - Chess/MCA
Howlin' Wolf: Real Folk Blues/More Real Folk Blues - Chess/MCA
Mighty Joe Young: Mighty Joe Young - Blind Pig