When a CD is only three bucks, you have to suspect that it's not about charity. Sure enough this is a sampler of the latest stuff for sale, to get you to buy more stuff at a much higher price point. I think the idea here was to do an ongoing series, like the Punk-O-Rama extensive series of samplers. However, they must have gotten tired after this one and given up on the project.
Since "the blues" are defined quite broadly by this collection, not every song will be to everyone's taste. While the purists will probably be disappointed that their interests are only represented by Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf, those who like some diversity will likely welcome the six tracks from female performers and the closer by Indigenous, while not the most bluesy of songs, is a Native American band. The songs by Kim Wilson and Rick Holmstrom show the continuing dynamic nature of the blues, mixing up traditional and alternative instrumentation. Since the sampler is trying to spotlight a lot of new music, most of the songs sport sleek modern production, polished horn sections, and the like. However there must have been some retrospective material included since the two big name blues guys were 20+ years in the grave when this was released!
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