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" If there's a blues fan on your list, you can't go wrong with Dave Thompson. "
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By Heather Flood
One thing non-music lovers have never understood is the gift-giving process to music lovers. Non-music types will say things like, "I`m afraid you`ll already have what I buy you, since you own everything already." Or, "I never know what to pick." Or the supremely dreaded, "I wanted to get you something really special, and you`re always buying CDs so I didn`t want to get you one." Music lovers hate that last one. So for the blues fans on your list, we are offering you a guide. Granted, your blues fan may already own these. But buying a disc for a true music lover shows that you really do care. Here are our picks for the music lovers on your list:
Blue Streak This Alligator Records release stands up as one of the best of the year. As we said in our review, from the opening blast of the bluesy "All the King`s Horses" to the R&B mastery of "Think with your Heart" to the gospel tinged "Midnight Creeper," Allison`s guitar wails and voice soars. It also is a great release for out-of-town relatives, since it reeks of Memphis. Blue Streak was recorded at 315 Beale Street and mixed at Ardent Studios. Blue Streak contains no weak links. Allison is in great voice. He has such a classic soul sound that at times when the Memphis Horns join in, you`d swear it was 1970 and Stax was still turning out hits. But this isn`t just an R&B outing. The blues are well-represented, as you would expect on any Alligator release. This also is a great gift for those rock `n` roll fans on your list who may not have a great appreciation for the blues. It is an all-around winner.
Little Dave and Big Love We featured Thompson on the cover of the July BlueSpeak, and our admiration for him only continues to grow. He was phenomenal at an August show at the Blues City Band Box on Beale, playing virtually all of the Little Dave and Big Love release. His first release for Capricorn Records/Fat Possum features blazing guitar and rock-solid backup. Thompson is known for coating his guitar strings in WD-40 to reduce friction. It`s a good thing, or he`d be burning up guitars from here to Leland, Miss., his home. Like all Capricorn/Fat Possum releases, Little Dave and Big Love is exquisitely packaged, featuring card-stock cover inserts and great photos. If there`s a blues fan on your list, you can`t go wrong with Dave Thompson.
Back in the Game The comeback record of the year belongs to Johnson, a one-time star on Willie Mitchell`s Hi Records. Johnson`s return featured a re-teaming with the Hi Rhythm section of the Hodges brothers. The record also features Johnson`s daughter, Syleena, on vocals on a couple of tracks. This is a particularly strong gift idea for the R&B fans on your list. It wouldn`t be the holidays without some Santa-ready sounds. A couple of fun samplers include the Black Top Records Blues, Mistletoe & Santa`s Little Helper and the Christmas Collection from Alligator Records. We favor the latter, which features Koko Taylor, Charlie Musselwhite, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown and several others. Memphis` own Memphis Archives released several stellar collections this year, which make great gifts for serious collectors as well as those just learning. We strongly recommend the Memphis Jug Band`s State of Tennessee Blues, Saturday Night Swing Club and Blues Ladies. For the rockers on your list, the Dewey Phillips` compilation Red, Hot & Blue is a winner. Most of all, we can`t emphasize enough how important it is that you try to make the music fan happy. It is better to give them a record they already have than none at all. And remember, you can always fall back on the time-tested gift certificate. Trust us. They`ll love it.
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