Earle was obviously influenced by the Boss, and sometimes it shines through brightly, as in “Fearless Heart.” While Earle rocks it out most of the time, he does drop back to laid back mode once in a while, as with his pretty “My Friend the Blues” and the downright sweet “Little Rock n’ Roller,” another fine ex- ample of Earle’s songwriting talents. Live from Austin, Texas is an essential snapshot of a superstar on the rise. Highly recommended. . . Talk about a real honest to God treat? How about a reunion of the original Blues Broth- ers Band. That’s right kids, the one and only Steve “The Colonel” Cropper, “Blue Lou” Marini and the rest of the band that backed Jake and Elwood are back together for an outstanding album called The Last Shade of Blue Before Black (Severn). Oh, and they brought along a fine gang of special guests that include Dr. John, Eddie Floyd, Joe Louis Walker, Paul Shaffer, Joe Morton and Matt “Guitar” Murphy (also a former member of the Blues Brothers Band). Tom “Bones” Mal- one joins in playing and arranging. Recorded live in the studio, the album features a set of new originals as well as songs that will take you back to the days of Briefcase Full of Blues. Good stuff. . . Red Hot : A Memphis Celebration of Sun Records (Americana Music Society) pays tribute to the music of the iconic Memphis record label SUN Records, with an all-star cast turning in apt covers of SUN hits. Luther Dickinson resur- rects “Moanin’ at Midnight,” and Bobby Rush sings “Tough Titty.” John Paul Keith rocks out on “Red Cadillac and a Black Moustache” and Jimbo Mathis rocks Jerry Lee’s “High School Confidential.” The album also features the talents of Valerie June, Shawn Camp, Bryan Hayes, Amy LaVere, Alvin Youngblood Hart and Chuck Mead. It’s a rock and roll cel- ebration worth checking out. . . Texas duo The Milligan Vaughan Project have turned in a smoking debut CD called MVP (Mark One). Singer Malford Milligan and gui- tarist Tyrone Vaughan (son of Jimmie,


nephew of Stevie Ray) are produced here by David Grissom and Omar Vallejo, and the record enhances electric blues with shades of jazz, funk, and gospel. There are original tracks plus a cover of Buddy Guy’s “Leave My Girl Alone,” Tower of Power’s “Compared to What,” and Rev. James Cleveland’s “Two Wings.” Two bonus live tracks include the Grissom written “What Passes for Love” and an excellent rendition of Freddy King’s “Palace of the King.” As far as debuts go, MVP truly delivers the goods. . . Willie Nile has released a fine tribute album, Positively Bob, a tribute to the music of Bob Dylan. (River House Records) Nile takes Dylan’s songs and makes them his own, for instance “Blowin’ in the Wind,” which sounds less like Peter, Paul and Mary and more like The Ramones. And Nile goes rockabilly with “Subterranean Homesick Blues” and “The Times They are a Changin’” becomes an arena rocker. Nile is a well-loved rock and roller with eleven albums under his belt, and Positively Bob ranks right at the top among his very best. . . MVD has released Mississippi John Hurt – Live at Oberlin College, a wonderful snapshot of a time when Hurt was just being discovered by a new generation of fans. It was 1965, and college students and hippies had discovered his sound following his appearance at the Newport Folk Festival. Hurt’s voice was as smooth and relaxed as ever, his finger picking as skilled as ever when he performed this live show, less than two years prior to his death. Hurt performed a mix of songs that included “Here I Am, Oh Lord, Send Me,” “The Angels Laid Him Away,” “Casey Jones,” “Salty Dog Blues,” “Spike Driver Blues,” and many oth- ers. Real blues from a true blues legend. •


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