Sha Boom Bang is a thirty one song collection of soul, funk, r&b and doo wop from the Sonoran Desert. Phoenix, Arizona, seems an unlikely place for a hot bed of funk & soul. When one hears of records from Phoenix, it is usually Duane Eddy or Al Casey but Phoenix was also the city where Dyke and the Blazers recorded many of their earliest sides and this compilation is the first that I am aware of to shine a light on the city's soul, r&b, funk and doo wop recordings. From the incredibly funky Ham Hocks and Beans to the gospel drenched soul of Little Worley and the Drops this set is hot as a Phoenix side walk in the summertime. Dan Nowicki’s detailed twenty five page booklet helps put everything in context with pictures and label shots.

Lost R&B Shouters Volume One is a twenty five track release on the Hi-Lo label. This collection of late 40's and early 50's blues and rhythm, covers a wide range of artists and sounds with standout tracks from Cliff Bivens, King Perry (who always rocks the rafters) and Sharkey Hall (who dat?). Bad Pecker Blues sounds like a real problem for someone.

Paul Butterfield’s Better Days Band Live at the Winterland Ballroom was recorded in 1973. The Better Days Band, like Butterfield's earlier groups, was made up of extremely talented players. Better Days included New Orleans native Ronnie Barron as well as Geoff Mudaur and Canadian guitarist Amos Garrett. Their recorded legacy was sparse with only two releases and this live set that was originally only available in Japan. Simply put, this is a wonderful performance by a seasoned band at the height of their prowess. Strong assured singing, sympathetic and sweet playing and great original songs make this a real favorite.

This two disc set entitled Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival 1972. It was recorded live at the Otis Spann Memorial Field. This watershed event featured some of the best names in blues performing at their peak. To hear Wolf, Muddy and Otis Rush from this era is to realize how good blues was in the 1970's and how so much of what is marketed today pales by comparison. The opening tune from Hound Dog Taylor has all the fire and raw excitement that drew folks to the music in the first place.

More Lost Soul Gems is Kent's excavation of the Sounds of Memphis and XL Records vaults. This latest compilation features twenty two tracks recorded between 1965 and 1972. Eighteen of these are previously unreleased. All of the titles show clearly that there was more to 1960s Memphis Soul than Stax.

Pee Wee Crayton Texas Blues Jumpin’ in Los Angeles is the long-awaited third volume of Modern recordings from this great Texas guitar player. This is West Coast blues guitar at its finest. All thirty tracks are unissued versions, distinctly different from the issued takes. All sides are taken from fresh 2014 dubs of the original acetates. Wow! What a sound! There is some illuminating studio chat that is included. This package was compiled and annotated by the great blues archivist and producer, Dick Shurman.

Soul City Los Angeles is an excellent collection of West Coast gems at the dawn of the soul era.  From the gospel soul of the Simms Twins & Johnnie Morisette to the hard blue soul of Johnny “Guitar” Watson and the earliest secular recordings of Johnnie Taylor, this two disc sixty song set has much to offer.

Quicksand: The Groove Records Story is a two disc fifty song romp through some of the greatest blues, r&b and first generation rock and roll ever recorded. One Day Music out of the U.K. continues with this fun and exciting series of label comps. These sides have the incomparable Mickey Baker, the label’s house guitarist ripping it up all over the place. These sides come from  a variety of this New York based labels roster including as you might suspect Mickey and Sylvia, King Curtis, Champion Jack Dupree and Sam Butera. Great stuff!

After Hours: The King Records Story is another great offering from One Day Music. This three disc seventy five song collection is jam packed with many different sounds from this Cinncinati powerhouse label. These 50’s recordings include The 5 Royales, James Brown, Johnny “Guitar” Watson, Wynonie Harris, Hank Ballard and the Midnighters, Bill Doggett, Little Ester and others. This box includes quality sound and packaging.

Fans of hillbilly boogie and hot guitar will love this collection of incredible electric guitar and steel guitar duets from Speedy West and Jimmy Bryant entitled, Bustin’ Thru & Flippin’ the Lid. This set features two of the finest players to ever touch a musical instrument. These mostly instrumental sides finds that area where country and jazz kiss. If you don't already own the Flamin' Guitars Bear Family box set, this single thirty four track CD compilation is an absolute must! It makes for the perfect starter kit. The usual Bear family superb packaging includes forty pages of liner notes by guitar geek and music impresario Deke Dickerson and the usual amazing sound you come to expect from Bear Family releases.

The Original Cleanhead is a brand new re-issue from the Ace label out of the U.K. Eddie Cleanhead Vinson was one of the great saxophone playing blues shouters. Throughout the 1940s and early 50s, he scored a slew of hits on Mercury and King including Old Maid Boogie and Kidney Stew Blues. By the late 50s he was playing with Johnny Otis and in the late 60s was signed by Bob Thiele to Bluestime. An all-star lineup of West Coast session players was hired for the album, including Earl Palmer on drums, guitarist Joe Pass and tenor great Plas Johnson. The album mixed new versions of old classics, such as Old Maid Boogie, with newer material. It was the start of a revival for Vinson. Ace is reissuing this album for the first time, using the original master tapes. The package includes the three bonus tracks by Vinson recorded in 1970 at a Carnegie Hall blues concert.

Bluesin’ by the Bayou: Rough and Tough is another great release from the Ace label. Here you will find twenty eight down home Louisiana blues tracks with a hint of menace and a touch of Zydeco. These sides include twenty previously unissued or alternate tracks. Building on the success of the previous releases in this series this compilation with its balance of rare and unissued sides, is the strongest to date. All tracks are either mega-rare or unissued tracks from the vaults of J.D. Miller and Eddie Shuler. Sixteen of the twenty eight are previously unissued and all but one are taken from master tape.

RPM Records Story – No More Doggin is a collection of great sides, many never released on CD.  RPM Records was Modern's third label, founded after the parent imprint and the short lived Colonial Records. It was set up to get more airplay of the company’s masters from radio programmers who were reluctant to play too many records from the same label and to achieve more orders from distributors. The artists who were assigned to RPM were as potent as any of those who were appearing on Modern. From the label's very early days these included such blues titans as B.B. King, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Howling Wolf and Rosco Gordon. The fifty two tracks that make up this overview of RPM's early years cover 1950-53. More than half are new to CD in these versions. Almost all have been re-mastered from the original acetates, even if they have been out on Ace CD before. These tracks will never have sounded as good as they do here. Every major name on RPM is featured at least once, plus a bunch of lesser known names whose careers did not progress beyond their RPM tenures.

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