Rory Block, BLUES WALKIN' LIKE A MAN
It's way past time for a tribute to Son House, and who better to bring it to life than the veteran blues woman Rory Block? Not only is she a much honored blues artist herself, but she knew the man-as a 15-year-old budding musician, she met and played for the then-newly rediscovered Delta blues giant in 1965, following one of his shows at the Village Gate in New York. Were he still with us, Son would surely approve of this record as much as he did of Block's artistry way back when.

Chris James and Patrick Rynn, STOP AND THINK ABOUT IT
Veterans of the Blue Four and Rob Stone and the C Notes, and in-demand session players as well, hotshot guitarist/vocalist Chris James and his stellar bass playing buddy Patrick Rynn consolidate nearly two years' of immersion in the blues, Chicago style, into this, their impressive duo debut on record. Working with a dazzling supporting cast of bandmates, James and Rynn blend five of their own well-turned original tunes with seven impeccably chosen covers, four of which are by one of their mutual heroes, Elmore James, which in and of itself says you need to check this out.

Roy Orbison, THE SOUL OF ROCK AND ROLL
This exemplary new box set will find its biggest audience among Orbison completists, who now, at last, have a career chronicle embracing not only the pre-Sun years through the Monument years, as do most other Orbison overviews, but also touches down in the '70s and '80s when he was doing good work on MGM, Elektra/Asylum and, of course, Virgin (when he was produced by Jeff Lynne, T Bone Burnett and, for only one cut but the best of the lot ["She's a Mystery to Me"], Bono), and adds some extra flavoring on Disc 4 by including cuts from the Class of '55 (with Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis) and Traveling Wilburys projects, along with three Orbison songs used in recent films plus a previously unreleased live version of "It's Over." The other big advantage this box has over the 1988 version is vastly improved sonics, producer Gregg Geller and mastering engineer Vic Anesini adding to their exemplary record of restoring fading treasures to state of the art audio standards.

DVD REVIEWS
Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters: RADIO HOPE
Tommy Emmanuel: CENTER STAGE