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Sean McDevitt
Albert Cummings
Genre-Free
Albert Cummings’ new album, Ten, carries a simple title while serving as an easy way to count discography entries, but it doesn’t capture all that’s on the line for the Massachusetts-based guitarist’s artistic and career trajectory. Recorded in Nashville, produced by Chuck Ainlay (Mark Knopfler) and backed by some of Music City’s top session players,…
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Sean McDevitt
Albert Cummings
Ten
Ten marks a creative milestone for Massachusetts-based Albert Cummings. It’s easily his most stylistically diverse recording to date, in addition to his most personal. It’s also an album that looks to Nashville, where it was recorded under the guidance of Chuck Ainlay (Mark Knopfler). That said, it’s clear from the first three tracks – an…
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Sean McDevitt
John Mayall
The Sun Is Shining Down
British blues icon John Mayall – now 88 years old and in his twilight – announced his retirement from touring late last year. His exit from the road, however, doesn’t necessarily mean his studio days are over. His latest, the guitar-centric The Sun Is Shining Down, continues a musical approach that, like other Mayall projects,…
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Sean McDevitt
Tinsley Ellis
Devil May Care
The pandemic largely torpedoed Tinsley Ellis’ tour dates in support of the excellent Ice Cream in Hell, so the veteran bluesman retreated to his Atlanta base and began tinkering with guitars, amplifiers, tones, and more. What ultimately emerged were 200 original songs, 10 of which he selected for this new album. It’s no secret that…
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Sean McDevitt
Chuck Berry
Live from Blueberry Hill
If you saw a Chuck Berry performance during the final 20 years of his life, it was likely at a club called Blueberry Hill, in his native St. Louis, where he played more than 200 consecutive monthly shows beginning in 1997. Those intimate gigs featured rock and roll’s founding father running through familiar hits with…
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Sean McDevitt
Muddy Waters
The Montreux Years
Muddy Waters’ extraordinary career was in its twilight during the ’70s, but the iconic bluesman was hardly limping to the finish line. In fact, the decade only cemented his hard-earned standing as a titan of American roots music, someone whose international profile had been on the rise since his first appearance in Europe in 1963.…
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Sean McDevitt
George Harrison
All Things Must Pass 50th Anniversary Edition
Is the world big enough for two distinct renderings of All Things Must Pass, Harrison’s iconic masterpiece? This anniversary set features a dramatic new mix (overseen by George’s son, Dhani), offering a sweeping sonic overhaul – and new listening experience – of what’s widely regarded as the quintessential Fab Four solo release. It’s also available…
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Sean McDevitt
Alligator Records: 50 Years of Genuine Houserockin’ Music
Various artists
The genesis of Alligator Records – founder Bruce Iglauer’s desire to cut an LP with his favorite band, Hound Dog Taylor & the House Rockers – is one of modern blues’ most-told stories. But while Taylor’s 1971 debut LP dominates the narrative, Alligator’s endurance comes courtesy of the other artists that followed. Together, they tell…
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Sean McDevitt
Mike Zito
Resurrection
The very title of bluesman Mike Zito’s new album – and the fact it’s the follow-up to 2020’s Quarantine Blues – strongly suggests the arrival of songs celebrating post-pandemic life. There’s indeed a sense of revival here, but this isn’t a release celebrating the reopening of restaurants and bars. Instead, it’s a deeply personal story…
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Sean McDevitt
Alligator Greats
Bruce Iglauer Recalls 50 Years of Blues Guitar
Anyone wondering why a young Bruce Iglauer was so impassioned about recording the raw, high-energy blues of Theodore Roosevelt “Hound Dog” Taylor can find context in the artists that captivated him in the years before he founded Alligator Records. “I first was turned on to the blues by Mississippi Fred McDowell, who played mostly inexpensive…
