Bobby "Blue" Bland › Greatest Hits, Volume 2

Personnel includes: Bobby "Blue" Bland (vocals); B.B. King (vocals, guitar).

Producers include: Steve Barri, Monk, Higgins, Al Bell, Don Gant, Ron Chancey.

Compilation producer: Andy McKaie.

Recorded between 1973 & 1979. Includes liner notes by Bill Dahl.

Liner Note Author: Bill Dahl.

Photographer: Frank Driggs.

By the end of his staggering 20-year run at the Duke label, Bobby Bland was rightly acknowledged as one of the premiere blues singers of all time. His constant presence on the R&B charts was matched only by his constant touring, a nearly endless pursuit that might very well have brought him to every smoky nightclub on earth. His first handful of post-Duke recordings, the best of which are included here, nearly match up to his early work, albeit in a decidedly different manner. The sophisticated uptown blues are replaced with a slinky groove that snakes its way throughout this compilation. Bland's manner is more relaxed, as if he's easing himself down into a hot tub with a bottle of champagne. Like the best of Bland's work, the mood is still sultry. "Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City" and "Yolanda" are as sexy as anything in his catalogue. One thing's for sure: if Bobby Bland is singing from a jacuzzi, he's not alone.

Genre:

• Blues

Music Categories:

• Blues: Texas / West Coast

Product Groupings:

• Greatest Hits

Product Series:

• Bargain Audio CDs & Priceless Collection