AMG Review of Blues for the Midnight Hour

Nathan Bush
All Music Guide

Blues for the Midnight Hour is essentially a sampler of the Shanachie blues roster circa 1999-2001, though it doesn't exactly begin that way. Instead, the set kicks off with classic blues from B.B. King ("Blues at Midnight") and Etta James (her 1961 classic "At Last") before jumping nearly four decades and, for the most part, staying there. What follows are select cuts from albums by Duke Robillard, Curtis Salgado, Debbie Davies, Sue Foley, Grady Champion, and others, the material split roughly between original material and readings of classic blues. Of the King and James compositions, little needs to be said. Both artists have impressive catalogs which any blues fan is advised to investigate more closely. For many, however, this might be the introduction to some of the younger musicians. Fans of modern blues will no doubt be impressed by some of the voices here, notably Salgado, Davies, and Champion. Also featured are late-'90s selections by a pair of longtime stylists. Pinetop Perkins is captured singing Leroy Carr's classic blues "How Long" before a live audience and John Hammond soaks Robert Johnson's "Malted Milk" in country blues authenticity. This set is obviously aimed at the blues novice, offering a concise package of sultry blues ideal for late-night airing. By those standards, it's passable, but more care in the compilation process could have yielded something substantially more satisfying.