Best Overlooked Blues Records Of 2002

 We get many, many records here at Bad Dog Blues and we try our best to give each one a fair listen but occasionally records get lost in the shuffle. This time of year we look back at the year's best records in order to compile our end of the year "best of" lists and I discovered the following notable records that never got their proper due.

 "Mean Blues" is the debut record from 70 year old New York City based singer Floyd Lee. This is a deep, moody set of blues rooted in the sounds of Mississippi by way of Chicago. Lee is a superb singer whether singing in a hushed whisper or a menacing growl. Lee is backed by a fine working band including Joel Poluck on guitar who also produced and wrote the bulk of the tunes, moody B-3 from George Papageorge plus a a pair of excellent harmonica blowers. The record has a decidedly ominous, low-down feel particularly on "Down In Lamar" a dark tale of murder and fear, 50's styled Chicago blues on "How Low Can You Go" and "Hard Working Woman" featuring great amplified harp and the stripped down "Mean Blues." Lee has spent his life as a part-time bluesman but this record proves he's a big time talent. (www.amoglarecords.com)

 Singer Shirley Johnson's "Killer Diller" is one of those records that really grew on me with repeated listening.Johnson is a versatile Chicago singer whose husky voice is equally at home tackling blues, soul and R&B all of which are on display on this fine record. This is Johnson's domestic debut (a prior record appeared on the overseas label Appaloosa) and Delmark has spared no expense backing her with some of Chicago's finest players including guitarists John Primer, Maurice John Vaughn, Johhny B. Moore and Rockin' Johnny plus a fine rhythm section and veteran horn players. Also on hand is guitarist Robert Ward whose immaculate playing is featured on three cuts. Johnson rolls through a varied set including the throbbing soul of "Not For The Love Of You", smoking Chicago blues on "Killer Diller", "The Blues Is All I've Got" and "It Hurts Me Too" and shows off her gospel roots as she testifies on Lavern Baker's "Saved." An impressive outing all around. (www.delmark.com)

  There's really no excuse for overlooking Lee McBee's "Soul Deep" but we've quickly rectified this by playing the hell out of this recently and this one's a sure bet to be on our list as one of the year's best records. This is harmonica/singer McBee's second solo CD since leaving the hard rocking Mike Morgan and the Crawl. McBee is a hard blowing big toned harp player blessed with a gritty, soulful voice who's heard to perfection on this superbly produced record. Backing McBee is crack group of West Coast musicians including Jon Moeller and Hash Brown on guitars, Gene Taylor on piano and the always dependable Kaz Kazanoff on sax. The sound is vintage rough and tumble blues circa 50's and 60's with a mix of the West Coast sound and a strong dose of soul. There's not a bum track in the bunch but favorites include Long John Hunter's romping "Ride With Me", the instrumental rumba of "Twelve Hours From You", the loping Jimmy Reed styled "Woman Down In Arkansas", the hard charging "I Don't Understand It" plus marvelous covers in Clarence Carter's horn propelled "Soul Deep" and Jimmy McCracklin's "The Walk." A killer! (www.pacificblues.com)

 Guitarist Eddie Vaan Shaw Jr. has paid his dues appearing on stages and records with his sax playing father and through his dad he's played with a who's who of Chicago legends. Shaw is a dazzling guitarist who proves himself a fine singer and songwriter on "Ass Whoopin!!." For all his talent Shaw's recordings have been relatively low profile issuing a pair of records on the Wolf label and some put out by himself. On "Ass Whoopin!!" Shaw is backed by a gang of Chicago stalwarts including Willie Kent, John Primer and Shorty Gilbert a long time member of his father's band. This latest outing has some very strong material including the soul laden "Mornin' Rain", the shuffling "Never Used Blues", the humorous "TV Preacher" plus "It Hurts Me Too" and the instrumental "Pimp Slap Slide" displaying some jaw dropping fret work. The only drawback is the inclusion of some acoustic and live material that's not quite up to par with the rest of the disc. Shaw has got talent to burn and should make the leap to a big label. With the right production and marketing he could set the blues world on fire. (www.guitar9.com/guitarmusic9/asswhoopin.html)

 "Bluehipnotik" is an impressive debut from LA based Lisa Bourne who originally hails from music rich New Orleans. Bourne is a sassy singer who runs through a mainly jumping set of blues with more than a nod to the sounds of her old hometown. The record is aided immeasurably by ace producer/songwriter Jimmy Morello and his West Coast guitar cohorts Kirk Fletcher and John Marx plus couple of fine horn players. There's plenty of good time jump blues like the handclapping "He's Trouble" and swingers like "Tell Me Lies" and "Let Me Fly" complete with honking horns and fine scatting from Bourne. Other highlights include the languid soul of "Soul Searching" and the low-down "worry mind" with some stellar guitar work. An very impressive debut.

 Beautiful Bobby Blackmon is a veteran part-time bluesman who grew up in Texas and got opportunities to back folks like Little Esther Phillips, Buddy Ace, T-Bone Walker, Jimmy Reed as well as lending an "extra guitar" behind Z.Z. Hill, Johnny Taylor and others. "I'm Dialin' 911" is a funky slice of contemporary blues and soul with a batch of fine original songs. Blackmon is a passionate, soulful vocalist and lays down some stinging, tasteful guitar backed by a tight band. Among the many strong songs include the funky opener "I've Got The Blues", "We Don't Tell Motel" a slinky cheating song, the infectious "I'm Dialin' 911 (Somebody Help Me Find My Baby)" has a great hook and solid straight blues in "Give Me The Blues Any Ole Time" and "B.Y.O.B." Fans of chitlin' circuit artists like Bobby Bland, Bobby Rush and Little Milton will find much to enjoy.