Blues Masters, Vol. 17 : More Post-Modern Blues

Volume 17 of the Blues Masters series serves up music from everyone from B.B. King and Koko Taylor to Keb' Mo' and the Allman Brothers Band, with stops along the way for James Cotton, Robert Cray, W.C. Clark, and Snooks Eaglin. Highlights include Little Milton's slow, intense rendition of "Walking the Back Streets and Crying," Johnny Copeland's sizzling "Claim Jumper," a low-key "Ego Trip" from Albert Collins and his Ice Breakers, and a smoking "Spellbound" from Koko Taylor. Above all, this CD shows how the blues has taken many elements from rock, the genre it spawned, and made them its own. --Genevieve Williams