Best Contemporary Blues
Bad Influence is a 1983 studio album by American blues singer and guitarist Robert Cray. It is the second studio album released under his name and presents a contemporary blues sound shaped by electric guitar, soul phrasing, and rhythm-and-blues arrangements. The title track is one of the record's i...
Why this score?
Acclaimed breakthrough blending blues precision with soul songwriting, distinguished by Cray's restrained guitar and expressive vocals.
Scoring methodology
Bonnie Raitt’s Nick of Time, released in 1989, is a critically acclaimed blues album that showcased her evolving sound. The record achieved significant commercial success winning five Grammy Awards and establishing Raitt as a prominent figure in contemporary blues music. It remains notable for its b...
Bonnie Raitt’s *Luck of the Draw* (1991) is a significant blues-rock album blending traditional styles with contemporary instrumentation. The project earned three Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, and highlighted Raitt's evolving sound incorporating electric guitar. It remains notable for...
Strong Persuader is a 1986 studio album by American singer and guitarist Robert Cray, released by Mercury Records. The record brought Cray to a wider audience by combining electric blues guitar with elements of soul, rhythm and blues, and polished contemporary production. It includes the songs "Smok...
Living with the Law is the debut studio album by American musician Chris Whitley, released in 1991 on Columbia Records. Produced by Malcolm Burn, the album blends roots rock, blues, and alternative country elements. It is characterized by its atmospheric production and Whitley's prominent use of the...
Soul Shot is a 2012 album by American blues and soul singer Curtis Salgado. Released by Alligator Records, it combines contemporary blues with soul-oriented material and features Salgado's lead singing and harmonica playing. The album received the Blues Music Award for Soul Blues Album of the Year i...
Why this score?
Award winning soul blues showcase featuring authoritative vocals, strong songs, and polished production without major innovation.
Scoring methodology
This Land is the third studio album by American guitarist Gary Clark Jr., released in 2019. The record blends traditional blues rock with elements of funk, R&B, and hip-hop, reflecting his diverse musical background from Austin, Texas. Its politically charged title track explores themes of racial in...
Revelator is the 2011 debut studio album by the Tedeschi Trucks Band, an American blues rock group formed by guitarist Derek Trucks and singer Susan Tedeschi. The album was released on Sony Masterworks and won the Grammy Award for Best Blues Album at the 54th Grammy Awards in 2012. It features a ble...
Blues of the Month Club is an album by American electric blues guitarist and singer Joe Louis Walker. Walker's music draws on blues, gospel, soul, and related African American musical traditions, and this release presents that combination through guitar-led performances and a contemporary electric-b...
Why this score?
Strong eclectic blues release featuring fiery guitar, gospel roots, and ambitious songwriting, occasionally crowded by stylistic variety.
Scoring methodology
"Made Up Mind" is the second studio album by the American blues-rock ensemble Tedeschi Trucks Band, released in 2013 on Sony Masterworks. The 12-member group is led by husband-and-wife duo Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, whose powerful vocals and slide guitar form the core of the band's sound. The...
Live from Nowhere in Particular is a 2008 live album by American blues-rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa. Released as a double CD, it presents concert performances including Bridge to Better Days, So Many Roads, Sloe Gin, Woke Up Dreaming, and a medley linking Django and Just Got Paid with other songs. T...
Why this score?
Popular live document showcasing technical guitar and dependable performances, though extended solos and polished presentation divide critics.
Scoring methodology
Don't Explain is a collaborative studio album by American singer Beth Hart and blues rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa, released in 2011 on the J&R Adventures label. The album consists entirely of cover versions of classic soul, blues, and rock tracks originally performed by artists such as Etta James, R...
Between Midnight and Day is the debut studio album by American blues musician and guitarist Corey Harris, released in 1995 through Alligator Records. The album is primarily acoustic and heavily rooted in traditional Delta blues, featuring Harris's slide guitar work and vocal performances. It establi...
Blak and Blu is the major-label debut studio album by American guitarist and singer Gary Clark Jr., released in 2012 on Warner Bros. Records. The album blends blues rock with elements of soul, R&B, and hip-hop, introducing his genre-crossing style to a global audience. It was a commercial success, r...
Just Won't Burn is the second studio album by American blues and soul singer-songwriter Susan Tedeschi, released in 1998 on the Tone-Cool Records label. The album was a major breakthrough for Tedeschi, showcasing her guitar work and vocal abilities through a mix of original compositions and blues co...
Blues for You is a blues release by American guitarist and singer Robben Ford. Ford's work is distinguished by an electric-guitar style informed by blues, jazz, and rhythm and blues, with emphasis on phrasing, harmonic movement, and improvisation. The release is intended for listeners who prefer mod...
Why this score?
Technically refined jazz blues recording admired for tone and musicianship, though smoothness reduces emotional urgency.
Scoring methodology
Let Me Get By is a 2016 studio album by Tedeschi Trucks Band, the American ensemble led by singer-guitarist Susan Tedeschi and guitarist Derek Trucks. Its original compositions combine blues, soul, Southern rock, gospel, and improvisational ensemble playing, with horns and multiple vocalists contrib...
Rick Estrin - One Wrong Turn is a blues album led by American singer and harmonica player Rick Estrin with his band, the Nightcats. Estrin's work combines frontman-led vocals, harmonica, and sharply phrased songwriting with the rhythmic language of West Coast blues, swing, and related electric style...
Why this score?
Witty modern swing blues with excellent harmonica and tight band performances, respected more by specialists than general critics.
Scoring methodology
Wake Up Call is a 1993 blues album by British musician John Mayall, issued under the John Mayall and Bluesbreakers name. It received a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Blues Album and includes guest appearances by Buddy Guy and Mavis Staples, along with other musicians. The record is suited t...
Why this score?
Respectable late career Mayall release with prominent guests and solid performances, but polished production and uneven songs.
Scoring methodology
Midnight Stroll is a 1990 studio album by American blues guitarist and singer Robert Cray, released on Mercury Records. The record merges traditional electric blues with soul and R&B elements, featuring prominent backing instrumentation by the Memphis Horns. Cray's guitar work and vocals focus on st...
Do I Move You? is a 2004 contemporary blues album by American vocalist Janiva Magness, released under the Blues Express label. The record showcases her powerful singing style and helped solidify her presence in the modern blues scene. It earned her a Blues Music Award, recognizing her growing influe...
Beacon Theatre: Live from New York is a 2012 live album by American blues rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa, documenting his performance at the historic Manhattan venue during his 2011 tour. Released under his own J&R Adventures label, the recording features a setlist spanning his career, highlighting hi...
Released in 1990 by Provogue Records, Life in the Jungle is a blues rock album by American guitarist Walter Trout. The record showcases his high-energy, guitar-driven style, which he developed during his tenure as a sideman for John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. It features a combination of vocal performa...
Good Stuff is an album by American folk-blues guitarist and singer Eric Bibb, released in the 1990s on the Earthbeat label. The son of folk singer Leon Bibb, he blends acoustic Delta blues with traditional folk, roots, and gospel influences. His playing is distinguished by a warm, fingerstyle techni...
37 Days is a 2007 blues rock album by American singer-songwriter and pianist Beth Hart, released on Ruf Records. The album's title refers to the strict time constraint under which it was created, as the entire writing, rehearsing, and recording process was completed in exactly 37 days. The resulting...
Wicked is the second studio album by American blues singer Shemekia Copeland, released in 2000 on Alligator Records. The daughter of Texas blues guitarist Johnny "Clyde" Copeland, Shemekia established herself as a major contemporary blues voice with this recording. The album features a mix of contem...
Keb' Mo' is the 1994 self-titled debut studio album by American blues musician Kevin Moore, released under the Epic and Okeh record labels. The album is distinguished by its acoustic-driven approach, which heavily borrows from the traditional Delta blues and country blues styles of the early 20th ce...
Prisoner of a Dream is an early 1990s blues rock album by American guitarist and singer Walter Trout. It was one of his early solo efforts that helped establish his career in Europe, particularly through the Provogue label. The album highlights Trout's fiery, expressive playing style and features a...
Turn the Heat Up! is the 1998 debut album by American blues singer Shemekia Copeland, released by Alligator Records. It introduced Copeland through a set of contemporary electric blues performances centered on her commanding vocals and backed by a full band. The album is intended for listeners of mo...
The Ballad of John Henry is a 2009 studio album by American blues-rock guitarist and singer Joe Bonamassa. It combines electric blues and guitar-centered songwriting with a heavier hard-rock influence, while the title track draws on the American folk legend of railroad worker John Henry. The album i...
