The actual album reviews it contains will have dated, of course, but I think I learned more about the blues from this book than from any other single source.

Murray doesn't just give you a guide to blues albums available on CD, he traces the history of the blues and all its variations in style, discussing the styles and artists and then giving you some choices of listening.

I'm sure that Murray's style isn't everyone's favourite, but I find him hugely readable ('Crosstown Traffic' is, for me, indispensable) and he enjoys himself thoroughly here. I think that one of the defining qualities of a music writer is that they make you want to hear the music, and Charles Shaar Murray does that superbly in this book. I reckon that I've bought at least a dozen albums on the strength of recommendations in this book, and several of those were by artists I hadn't previously heard of at all.

Even if you're already a blues aficionado, I think you would enjoy this book - if you can find a copy! If you have a passing interest in the blues and want to dig a little deeper, you really should make an effort to track down a copy. (But I won't be selling mine!) ( )