New releases: blues, alt/country and funky rock ‘n roll

Magic Sam, Rockin’ Wild In Chicago, Delmark Records.

Magic Sam Maghett, one of the legendary and seminal figures of the West Side school of Chicago blues guitar, died at age 32 in 1969, long before his time and with much unfinished musical business to complete. His few studio recordings are blues classics, recognized among blues fans and historians as indispensable examples of modern electric blues. Up until now, there has been little live material featuring Magic Sam, but that has changed now with the release of Rockin’ Wild In Chicago. These 16 tracks were recorded on three separate occasions from 1964 until 1968, and while the sound quality is uniformly crude, there’s no denying the power of Magic Sam’s blazing guitar and emotional vocals. If you crave some real Chicago electric blues captured live and raw, look no further. Check out Delmark’s web site for information on other Magic Sam recordings: www.delmark.com.

The Gabe Dixon Band, On A Rolling Ball, Reprise Records.

Screaming guitar solos and chunky power chords have dominated rock music for decades, so when a band comes along that spotlights keyboards, saxophone and flute with not a guitar in sight, this writer sits up and takes notice. The Gabe Dixon Band offers up a very sophisticated rock sound that’s long on imagination, taste and talent. Their sound is rife with funky rhythms and fusion/jazz, melodic experimentation and bold chord changes, centered around introspective lyrics of love, loss and longing for better times. In other words, this is music for adults; don’t be surprised if your kids don’t abscond with your copy. Of course, that wouldn’t be so bad, would it? My hat is off to Reprise Records for taking a chance on a disc like this. It’s nice to see a major label that still respects music for art’s sake.

Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials, Heads Up!, Alligator Records.

Diminutive Chicago blues guitarist Lil’ Ed Williams, the nephew of the late slide guitar ace J.B. Hutto, has returned with perhaps his most raucous, house-rockin’ blues and rock ’n roll release yet. Williams plays some of the most slashing, over-the-top, in-your-face slide guitar heard in ages and his band fits him like a well-worn pair of shoes. Tracks like “Woman In The Castle,” “The Creeper,” “Natural Man,” “Computer Girl,” and “Black Night” burn from beginning to end. If you’re looking for the perfect blues album to get a party up and running, this is the place. Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials are a knockout band.

Steve Earle, Jerusalem, Artemis Records.

Alt/country superhero Steve Earle is back with a varied collection of socially topical rockers and ballads after experimenting with acoustic music and bluegrass. The controversial track “John Walker’s Blues” is included here, the story of the “American Taliban,” John Walker-Lind. Earle has taken some heat for the song, which is openly sympathetic to Walker-Lind’s point of view and tells the story of his conversion to Islam, his subsequent capture by American forces and the treatment he received as a result.

Earle may be one of the last American songwriters really concerned with politics, the environment and social injustice—and isn’t afraid to speak his mind. In a musical world loaded with manufactured, packaged groups and no-talent singers (if you watched the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade you saw many of them), someone like Steve Earle is a national treasure. It’s no wonder Earle is so well respected with the world of alt/country and rock. He’s simply the best singer/songwriter working within the genre. Jerusalem is another gem from Steve Earle. www.artemisrecords.com.