Mojo Music Guide Vol. 4: Blues Power (2004)

The once mighty Mojo Music Guide series was flailing by the time volume 4 was released and, to nobody's surprise, the series wrapped after this. The thing to remember with the series is that they were all free discs taped to fancy British music magazines, all trying to woo readers away from rivals Uncut and Q and probably a bunch of others I can't think of. Therefore, the real purpose behind each volume was to sell something, not provide a rich and comprehensive listening experience. They got away with achieving both on the first two entries, Instant Garage and The Roots of Hip-Hop, mainly because those came out at a time when it was easy to make connections to newer material or fresh new compilations fans would be likely to buy upon hearing those volumes. Those volumes were loaded to capacity. Volume 3, Raw Soul, failed to capture my interest (mainly because I know zilch about soul), but this volume did capture it...and left me disappointed. The songs are good and hit a lot of the standards, but overall it just feels like a thin offering, only about half the length of its predecessors. Additionally it seemed hung up on surface-level material, while the others weren't afraid to dig a little deeper. Sure it's great that these pillars of the blues are getting representation, but dang it, I want more! As I was bemoaning earlier, I am in dire need of more real blues material in my collection. Thank God for public libraries.