Super Blues
Complete with psychedelic cover art and hilarious Vietnam-era liner notes, this relic from the Summer of Love is an enduring delight. The bold notion to team blues mastersMuddy Watersand"Little Walter" Jacobswith rocking rhythm-and-blues kingBo Diddleyworks wonders throughout, achieving a creative chemistry and energy rarely seen in jam bands of this sort. The vocal and instrumental interplay on every track is intensely competitive in the tradition of jook house "headcutting" contests, with each performer spurring the next on to evermore impressive heights, while soaring through a repertoire of favorites like Muddy's "Long Distance Call," Bo's "I'm a Man" and "Who Do You Love," Little Walter's "Sad Hours," and Willie Dixon's "You Can't Judge a Book By Its Cover." With the powerhouse headliners backed by the likes ofOtis Spannon piano andBuddy Guyon guitar, this period piece remains a fun and refreshing gem.--Alan Greenberg