Music Tracking 2020: Blues

These are 2020 releases that I've taken note of, listed alphabetically by artist, with VA comps at the bottom. My grades, where available, are in brackets at the end of the line (stars in B+ range). Lines in blue indicate that I have a physical copy (albeit sometimes just a promo CDR); in green are records that I graded based on a Rhapsody stream or other such source. Most records have release dates and a brief genre note.

This file is used as the basis for the metacritic new and old music files.

Unheard records are prioritized 0-3 (graded records are 4-5). The priotization is based subjectively on personal interests, reviews I've noticed, reviewers I particularly respect, what I know about the artists, etc. Roughly speaking: 0 is something I have no reason to consider (default page omits 0); 1 has been noted as having some cred somewhere; 2 is something I have some specific reason to search out; 3 is something I'll listen to ASAP.

Option selectors:

Genre switches (selection not implemented yet):

New Releases

  • 79rs Gang: Expect the Unexpected (Sinking City) [05-29] - r&b [***]
  • Dave Alvin & Phil Alvin: Live From Austin (Yep Roc -EP) [06-05] - blues
  • Quinton Barnes: Aarupa (Grimalkin) [03-20] - r&b
  • Frank Bey: All My Dues Are Paid (Nola Blue) [01-17] - blues
  • Elvin Bishop & Charlie Musselwhite: 100 Years of Blues (Alligator) [09-25] - blues [**]
  • Rory Block: Prove It On Me (Stony Plain) [03-27] - blues
  • Brandy: B7 (Brand Nu/Entertainment One) [07-31] - r&b [*]
  • Toni Braxton: Spell My Name (Island) [08-28] - r&b
  • Zachary Cale: False Spring (All Hands Electric) [05-29] - blues
  • Cassowary: Cassowary (Fat Possum) [04-24] - r&b
  • Wild Billy Childish and the Chatham Singers: Kings of the Medway Delta (Damaged Goods) [03-06] - blues
  • Chloe x Halle: Ungodly Hour (Columbia) [06-12] - r&b [*]
  • Circa Waves: Happy (Prolifica) [01-10] - Britpop
  • Jacob Collier: Djesse (Vol 3) (Hajanga) [08-14] - neo-soul
  • Shemekia Copeland: Uncivil War (Alligator) [10-23] - blues [*]
  • Danielia Cotton and the Church Boys: A Different War (self-released) [05-29] - blues
  • Robert Cray Band: That's What I Heard (Nozzle) [02-28] - blues
  • Dedicated Men of Zion: Can't Turn Me Around (Bible & Tire) [06-26] - blues
  • Dion: Blues With Friends (Keeping the Blues Alive) [06-05] - blues [*]
  • Alex Dixon: The Real McCoy (Dixon Landing) [04-06] - blues
  • DMA's: Glow (Infectious) [07-10] - Britpop
  • Emma Donovan & the Putbacks: Crossover (Hope Street) [11-06] - r&b
  • Ronnie Earl & the Broadcasters: Rise Up (Stony Plain) [09-11] - blues [*]
  • Che Ecru: Til Death (F Plus) [10-30] - r&b [**]
  • Tinsley Ellis: Ice Cream in Hell (Alligator) [01-31] - blues
  • Brent Faiyaz: Fuck the World (Lost Kids) [02-07] - alt r&b
  • Fantastic Negrito: Have You Lost Your Mind Yet? (Cooking Vinyl/Blackball Universe) [08-14] - blues [***]
  • Kirk Fletcher: My Blues Pathway (Cleopatra) [09-25] - blues
  • Anthony Geraci: Daydreams in Blue (Shining Stone) [04-24] - blues
  • Al Gold: Al Gold's Paradise (self-released) [03-06] - blues [A-]
  • Franck L Goldwasser: Sweet Little Black Spider (Slimbyrd) [01-17] - blues
  • Vivian Green: Love Absolute (SoNo) [11-13] - r&b
  • The HamilTones: 1964 [One Nine Six Four] (Ghetto Allstars) [08-28] - r&b
  • Lonnie Holley: National Freedom (Jagjaguwar) [07-03] - psychedelic soul
  • Hurricane Ruth: Good Life (American Showplace Music) [07-10] - blues
  • Johnny Iguana: Johnny Iguana's Chicago Spectacular (Delmark) [08-21] - blues [**]
  • Ian Isiah: Auntie (E1 Entertainment) [08-31] - r&b
  • Jimmy Johnson: Every Day of Your Life (Delmark -19) [2019-12-06] - blues [**]
  • JoJo: Good to Know (Warner) [05-01] - r&b
  • Sass Jordan: Rebel Moon Blues (Stony Plain) [03-13] - B\blues
  • K Michelle: All Monsters Are Human (EOne) [01-31] - r&b [**]
  • Leven Kali: Hightide (Interscope) [05-01] - r&b
  • Kehlani: It Was Good Until It Wasn't (TSNMI/Atlantic) [05-08] - r&b [A-]
  • Kem: Love Always Wins (Motown) [08-28] - r&b
  • Alicia Keys: Alicia (RCA) [09-18] - r&b [**]
  • Troy Kingi: The Ghost of Freddie Cesar (Allgood Absolute Alternative) [09-11] - r&b
  • ERR: grade bad priority: KMRU: Peel
  • Sonny Landreth: Blacktop Run (Provogue) [02-21] - blues [*]
  • Bettye LaVette: Blackbirds (Verve) [08-28] - r&b [***]
  • Ledisi: The Wild Card (Listen Back Entertainment) [08-28] - r&b
  • Ben Levin: Carryout or Delivery (Vizztone) [10-09] - blues
  • Errol Linton: No Entry (Brassdog) [05-11] - blues
  • Son Little: Aloha (Anti/Epitaph) [01-31] - blues
  • Gerald McClendon: Can't Nobody Stop Me Now (Delta Roots) - blues
  • Victoria Monet: Jaguar (Tribe -EP) [08-07] - r&b [**]
  • Mourning [A] BLKstar: The Cycle (Don Giovanni) [05-15] - r&b
  • New Moon Jelly Roll Freedom Rockers: Vol 1 (Stony Plain) [09-04] - blues
  • Johnny Nicholas: Mistaken Identity (Valcour) [08-28] - blues [**]
  • Loren Oden: Adrian Younge Presents Loren Oden: My Heart, My Love (Linear Labs) [09-11] - r&b
  • Ojerime: B4 I Breakdown (Fang) [03-13] - r&b
  • Partynextdoor: Partymobile (OVO Sound/Warner) [03-27] - alt r&b
  • Dan Penn: Living on Mercy (The Last Music Company) [08-28] - r&b
  • John Petrucci: Terminal Velocity (Sound Mind Music) [08-28] - blues
  • Phantom Blues Band: Still Cookin' (Vizztone) [02-14] - blues
  • Queen Naija: Misunderstood (Capitol) [10-30] - r&b
  • Thorbjorn Risager & the Black Tornado: Come On In (Ruf) [01-31] - blues
  • Duke Robillard: Blues Bash With Duke Robillard & Friends (Stony Plain) [11-20] - blues
  • Roomful of Blues: In a Roomful of Blues (Alligator) [03-13] - blues
  • Bobby Rush: Rawer Than Raw (Deep Rush) [08-28] - blues [***]
  • Sectiontoo: Cascade Effect (self-released) [06-04] - r&b
  • Whitney Shay: Stand Up (Ruf) [02-21] - blues
  • Justine Skye: Bare With Me (Nynetineth) [08-27] - r&b
  • Bette Smith: The Good, the Bad and the Bette (Ruf) [09-25] - r&b [**]
  • Trey Songz: Back Home (Atlantic) [10-09] - r&b
  • Dave Specter: Blues From the Inside Out (Delmark -19) [2019-10-16] - blues
  • Swamp Dogg: Sorry You Couldn't Make It (Joyful Noise) [03-06] - country soul [**]
  • Brother Theotis Taylor: Brother Theotis Taylor (Mississippi) [08-07] - blues
  • Teyana Taylor: The Album (Def Jam) [06-19] - r&b [***]
  • TeaMarr: Before I Spill Myself (Atlantic) [05-29] - r&b
  • Josh Teskey & Ash Grunwald: Push the Blues Away (Ivy League) [11-13] - blues
  • They: The Amanda Tape (Island) [10-23] - r&b
  • Walter Trout: Ordinary Madness (Provogue) [08-28] - blues
  • Cristina Vane: Old Played New (Blue Tip) [07-01] - blues [***]
  • Cristina Vane: The Magnolia Sessions (Anti-Corp) [12-18] - blues [**]
  • Benny Walker: Chosen Line (Independent) [06-05] - blues
  • Summer Walker: Life on Earth (LVRN/Interscope -EP) [07-10] - r&b [B]
  • Sunny War: Can I Sit With You? (Hen House Studios -EP) [03-20] - r&b
  • Watermelon Slim: Traveling Man (Northern Blues) [03-27] - blues
  • Paul Weller: On Sunset (Polydor) [07-03] - British trad rock [B]
  • Kim Wilson: Take Me Back! The Bigtone Sessions (MC) [08-20] - blues

Reissues, Etc.

  • Dave Alvin: From an Old Guitar: Rare and Unreleased Recordings (Yep Roc) [11-20] - blues [***]
  • James Booker: Classified (1983, Craft) - blues
  • Solomon Burke: The King of Rock 'n' Soul (SoulMusic) - soul
  • Kenny Carter: Showdown: The Complete 1966 RCA Recordings (Kent) [08-06] - soul
  • Sam Cooke: The Complete Keen Years (1957-1960) (ABKCO -5CD) [01-24] - soul
  • Jarrod Dickenson: Ready the Horses (2017, self-released) - blues
  • Manfredo Fest: Brazilian Dorian Dream (1976, Far Out) [07-24] - Brazilian
  • Roberta Flack: First Take [50th Anniversary Deluxe Addition] (SoulMusic.com) [07-24] - soul
  • Aretha Franklin: Aretha (Rhino -4CD) [11-20] - soul
  • The Gospel Truth: The Complete Singles Collection (Craft -2CD) [09-17] - gospel
  • Loleatta Holloway: Loleatta/Cry to Me (Kent) [09-09] - soul
  • John Lee Hooker: Documenting the Sensation Recordings 1949-1952 (Ace) - blues
  • Mississippi John Hurt: The Complete Studio Recordings (Vanguard) [10-31] - blues
  • Bessie Jones and the Georgia Sea Island Singers: Get in Union (Global Jukebox) [06-05] - blues [**]
  • Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings: Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Rendition Was In) (Daptone) [10-23] - r&b [*]
  • Evelyn "Champagne" King: The RCA Albums 1977-1985 (SoulMusic -8CD) [11-27] - r&b
  • Eugene McDaniels: Outlaw (Real Gone Music) [07-03] - funk
  • Menswe@r: Menswe@r Collection (Edsel -4CD) [10-23] - Brit pop
  • The Meters: Gettin' Funkier All the Time: The Complete Josie/Reprise & Warner Recordings 1968-1977 (Soul Music) [01-31] - r&b
  • New Moon Jelly Roll Freedom Rockers: Vol 1 (2007, Stony Plain) [09-04] - blues [**]
  • Esther Phillips: Brand New Day: Lenox/Atlantic & Roulette Recordings 1962-1970 (Soulmusic -5CD) [06-24] - soul
  • Prince: Up All Nite With Prince: The One Nite Collection (SMG -5CD) [05-29] - r&b
  • Diana Ross: Supertonic: Mixes (Motown) [07-24] - r&b
  • Sister Sledge: Thinking of You: The Atco/Cotillion/Atlantic Recordings 1973-1985 (SoulMusic -6CD) [03-27] - r&b
  • Sparkle: Sparkle (1979, Cultures of Soul) [01-31] - disco
  • The Staple Singers: Come Go With Me: The Stax Collection (Craft) [02-21] - r&b
  • Sugar Billy: Super Duper Lover (1975, Mainstream) [07-02] - funk [***]
  • Brother Theotis Taylor: Brother Theotis Taylor (Mississippi) [07-15] - blues
  • Carla Thomas: Let Me Be Good to You: Atlantic & Stax Recordings 1960-1968 (Soulmusic -4CD) [08-26] - soul
  • Big Joe Turner: The Complete Boss of the Blues (Bear Family -2CD) [03-13] - blues
  • The Viscaynes: The Viscaynes & Friends (Org Music -19) [2019-12-06] - r&b
  • Dionne Warwick: Deja Vu: The Arista Recordings (1979-1994) (Soulmusic) - r&b
  • Dinah Washington: Jukebox Pearls: A Rockin' Good Way (Bear Family) [02-24] - r&b
  • Jackie Wilson: Whispers (1966, Edsel) [08-28] - soul
  • Danny Woods: Aries (1972, Demon) [09-25] - soul
  • Crawling Up a Hill: A Journey Through the British Blues Boom 1966-71 (Grapefruit -3CD) [03-27] - blues
  • Disco Demands Part Six (BBE) [02-07] - disco
  • Hanging Tree Guitars (Music Maker Relief Foundation) [09-01] - blues [A-]
  • The Harry Smith B-Sides (Dust-to-Digital -4CD) [08-06] - folk
  • Inner City Review (Arc) [06-26] - r&b
  • Ready or Not: Thom Bell's Philly Soul Arrangements & Productions 1965-1978 (Ace) - soul
  • The Soul of the Memphis Boys (Ace) [06-26] - soul
  • Spring NYC Soul (Ace) [01-31] - r&b
  • Stone Crush: Memphis Modern Soul 1977-1987 (Light in the Attic) [04-03] - soul [**]
  • A Stranger I May Be: Savoy Gospel 1954-1966 (Honest Jon's) [10-16] - gospel

Priority Counts

  • Priority 1: 92
  • Priority 2: 8
  • Priority 3: 0
  • Priority 4: 33
  • Priority 5: 1

Total: 134