© Bluestronomical Publishing Inc. 2009

Various Artists
The Future Of The Blues Volume 3
NorthernBlues NBM0300

The da-da-da-da-dat riff – made famous by Muddy Waters on “Hoochie Coochie Man” – has been a blessing and a curse to the blues. It is one of the most recognized riffs ever recorded, but by today’s heady standards, it sounds dull. For those who think modern blues is boring, this sampler (and record label) is for you. Samplers are a great (and inexpensive) way to get exposure to various styles of blues and to a specific label. Even in this day of commercial free non-stop satellite radio, samplers are an excellent way to discover the blues.

There are 15 tracks – including five previously unreleased – on this 70-minute disc. Three of them are from Watermelon Slim, who has taken the blues world by storm over the past few years. NorthernBlues head honcho Fred Litwin is obviously looking to cash in on this popularity as well as try to feed the insatiable craving for the trucker turned bluesman. A galloping beat makes one of his songs “Blue Freightliner” rock.

Doug Cox and Salil Bhatt unite classic Cast-Indian music and blues for the common goals of peace and humanity. Together they perform outstanding acoustic guitar and mohan veena, and the vocal harmonies are surreal. On “Penny Waiting On Change,” Homemade Jamz displays great potential to blossom into huge blues stars. Here, the guitar crescendos from a leisurely pace and then explodes into fiery passion. The slurred and intoxicated-sounding vocals on the track from Moreland & Arbuckle only hints of the faux Mississippi hill country blues they perform so well. Samuel James is a multi-instrumentalist who plays mean, acoustic country blues. His voice sounds like the folky Bob Dylan has met rapper Jay-Z. Eddie Turner combines grey modernism with genre-blending experiments. On a swinging instrumental, Carlos del Junco shows why he is one of Canada’s best harpists and why he is ready to compete internationally for the harmonica crown. Mason Casey’s Sofa King Badass was one of the most over-looked releases. With the following contributors: Don Covay, Steve Cropper, Jimmy Johnson, and Jon Tiven, how could it have been anything but great? Depending on how you feel about repetition, Mem Shannon’s 13-minute hypnotizing rhythm will either put you in a trance or a slumber. Zac Harmon’s track is lively, and it’s the most stereotypical blues sounding song on the sampler.

Thanks to the forward-thinking of NorthernBlues and their innovative artists, the future of the blues sounds very hopeful.

- Tim Holek -


Southwest Blues CD Review - April 2009

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