Years ago, I asked Johnny Winter what he would say to a person who thought all blues music sounded the same. “Listen to better blues,” was his response. Well, this year, you couldn’t get much better than these albums:
TINNITIST’S PICK
Delbert McClinton & Self-Made Men + Dana
Tall, Dark & Handsome
WHO IS HE? The criminally underappreciated 78-year-old Texas blues icon who has gigged with everyone from Howlin’ Wolf to Lightnin’ Hopkins, been covered by everyone from Emmylou Harris to The Blues Brothers — and once gave some British pop singer named John Lennon a harmonica lesson.
WHAT IS THIS? The 26th studio album of his six-decade career, Tall, Dark & Handsome — which features his Self-Made Men band and sax player Dana Robbins — is a disc that not only highlights the impressive depth and breadth of his sound and style, but also showcases the veteran singer-songwriter at the height of his impressive powers.
WHAT DOES IT SOUND LIKE? Midway between a musical travelogue and a historical journey, the 14-song set of original fare covers the musical waterfront from gritty 12-bar roadhouse blues to jazzy horn-driven jump blues, zippy violin-laced speakeasy swing, south of the border Latin grooves, soulful ballads, New Orleans funk and more — all voiced with McClinton’s sandy Doug Sahm-meets-Randy Newman drawl and easy confidence.
READ THE FULL REVIEW AND HEAR THE ALBUM HERE
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
The Allman Betts Band | Down to The River
The Allman Brothers Band | Fillmore West ’71
Bad Juice | Stack-O-Lee And Ten Other American Tales
The Blue Butter Pot | Let Them Talk
Bywater Call | Bywater Call
Gary Clark Jr. | This Land
Davina & The Vagabonds | Sugar Drops
Nico Duportal & The Sparks | 
Dog, Saint & Sinner
Rory Gallagher | Blues
GA-20 | Lonely Soul
Jimmy “Duck” Holmes | Cypress Grove
Seth James | Good Life
Van Morrison | Three Chords & The Truth
Niggght | Violent Delicacy
North Mississippi Allstars | Up and Rolling
Robert Randolph & The Family Band | Brighter Days
Bobby Rush | Sitting On Top of The Blues
Various Artists | Ann Arbor Blues Festival 1969 Vol. 1 & 2
Jimmie Vaughan | Baby, Please Come Home
Adia Victoria | Silences
Leo “Bud” Welch | The Angels in Heaven Done Signed My Name
TO FIND REVIEWS OF THESE ALBUMS, PLEASE USE THE SEARCH WINDOW AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE
