AllMusic 2015 Year in Review
Favorite Blues Albums
The blues was alive and well in 2015, with artists like Gary Clark, Jr., Leo Bud Welch and Sonny Landreth keeping the flame, while new reissues and collections from Clarence "Frogman" Henry, Swamp Dogg and Johnny Adams offered fresh looks at the style's history.
Billy Gibbons / Billy Gibbons & the BFG's
The ZZ Top guitarist takes solo flight with this collection of Cuban-inflected blues boogie.
Billy Ward / Billy Ward & the Dominoes
The Complete Federal/King Singles
All the A- and B-sides of the singles the trailblazing vocal R&B group released in the '50s and '60s.
The Grammy-nominated SoCal funk-blues collective gears up for a good party on High Steppin'.
Bobby Mitchell / Tommy Ridgley
In the Same Old Way: The Complete Ric, Ron and Sho-Biz Recordings
All of the singles released on Ric & Ron from New Orleans singers Tommy Ridgley and Bobby Mitchell.
Chicken Heads: A 50-Year History of Bobby Rush
Wildly entertaining and illuminating four-disc history of the bold, bawdy soul-blues singer.
The peerless singer records in Nashville with a crack band and special guests for a program of timeless R&B, blues, and soul.
The Duluth-based singer/songwriter delivers another strong collection of red-blooded country blues and folk, this time with a full band.
Baby Ain't That Love: Texas & Tennessee Sessions 1964-1974
Excellent roundup of the '60s and '70s sides the New Orleans singer recorded in Texas and Tennessee.
On his fifth solo album, the British singer/songwriter and guitar slinger delivers a darkness-drenched future blues.
Baby I'm Wise: The Complete Ric Singles 1959-1962
The long-out-of-print Ric singles from the great New Orleans R&B singer get reissued on this fine comp.
Texas guitarist and songwriter crafts a musically and lyrically ambitious album that embraces blues, rock, R&B, and hip-hop.
I Won't Cry: The Complete Ric & Ron Singles 1959-1964
All of the Ric & Ron singles from New Orleans R&B great Johnny Adams.
On his second killer effort, the octogenarian Mississippi bluesman revels in the heart of a juke joint Saturday night.
![4 Nights of 40 Years Live [2-CD/DVD]](https://fastly-s3.allmusic.com/release/mr0004433433/front/400/W9twQdg6kcgfuNBWDrfNJ1WnbEN5fCjifro6xhIBuB4=.jpg)
4 Nights of 40 Years Live [2-CD/DVD]
Relaxed but celebratory live album commemorating the blues guitarist's 40th anniversary in the music biz.
Blues belter delivers another set of vocal knockouts, with guest appearances from Billy Gibbons and Robert Randolph.
After 12 years, the guitarist and his longstanding trio deal out a back-to-basics hard blues album.
I'm Not Selling Out -- I'm Buying In!
Fully realized and funky, a winning '80s variation on Swamp Dogg's trademark persona.
Dynamite! The Unsung King of the Blues
First-ever reissue of Tampa Red's lively recordings for RCA Victor and Bluebird in the '40s and early '50s.
On this self-issued date, the noted guitarist reveals himself to be an equally fine singer and songwriter.
Tommy Castro & the Painkillers
No horns, no guests, no gimmicks. Raw and loud, the bluesman's first self-produced album is one of his best.
The Complete Warner Bros. Recordings
Fine repackaging of the three albums (and rare single sides) the swamp rock legend cut for Warner Bros. in the '70s.
Various Artists
The Roots of It All: Acoustic Blues - The Definitive Collection, Vol. 1
The first volume Bear Family's four-part Acoustic Blues series concentrates on the '20s and '30s.
Various Artists
The Roots of It All: Acoustic Blues - The Definitive Collection, Vol. 2
The second volume of Bear Family's four-part Acoustic Blues set focuses on the '40s and '50s.
Various Artists
The Roots of It All: Acoustic Blues - The Definitive Collection, Vol. 3
The third volume of Bear Family's four-part Acoustic Blues series focuses on the Blues Revival of the '60s.
Various Artists
The Roots of It All: Acoustic Blues - The Definitive Collection, Vol. 4
The fourth volume of the four-part Bear Family Acoustic Blues series concentrates on the '80s, '90s and beyond.
Various Artists
Wow, Wow, Baby! 1950s R&B, Blues & Gospel from Dolphin's of Hollywood, Vol. 3
Dynamite collection of rare L.A. '50s R&B from the Johnny Dolphin vaults.
Various Artists
Boppin' by the Bayou: Rock Me Mama!
One of the wilder, raggedy collections in Ace's ongoing By the Bayou series.
Various Artists
Reaching Out: Chess Records at FAME Studios
Excellent collection of Chess soul artists recorded at Muscle Shoals' FAME studios in the late '60s.
The Bad Times Make the Good Times: Classic Texas Recordings 1964-1986
Two discs of swamp pop and R&B Warren Storm recorded for Huey P. Meaux labels between 1964 and 1986.
Don't You Want to Rock? The King & Deluxe Acetate Series
Dynamite collection of all the masters and alternates Wynonie Harris recorded for King and Deluxe.