"American Blues" is the second Putumayo collection devoted to the blues. Many of the music's giants are here. Arthur Adams and BB King set the ball rolling with "Get Next to Me", brassy, swinging and full of BB's trademark liquid guitar licks. There are classic cuts such as Otis Rush's hard-bitten Chicago style "I Got The Blues" and Ruth Brown's " Good Day For The Blues" while relative newcomers like Keb Mo swing soulfully in the tradition.

Another outstanding track is "She's Into Something" where Robert Cray's R & B (not the marketing term) vocals and plucked guitar runs are rudely interrupted by some fiercely slashing buzzsaw guitar from the late Albert Collins. It was lifted off their landmark "Showdown" LP.

Taj Mahal, Raful Neal and lesser-known artists such as Henry Gray, Chris Thomas King, Sugar Pie Desanton all give excellent performances of varied blues styles. Well, maybe Taj Mahal's reputation is a bit overblown, although his "Cakewalk Into Town" is at the least entertaining.

I must confess I was unaware of Eric Bibb, a bluesman who has lived in Europe for the last 15 years. His sensitive country-blues rendition of that mouldy old hymn "Needed Time" is timelessly beautiful and totally unexpected. Another seeming outsider is Susan Tedeschi, a young lady who made it as a nominee for Best New Artist Grammy 2000 alongside such vacuous icons as Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.

Her entry "Just Won't Burn", a slow to mid-tempo burner with a touch of Janis Joplin raspiness in her delivery is a bona fide roofraiser. "American Blues" closes with the gospel-soul of Solomon Burke's "None Of Us Are Free" from his Grammy Award winning album "Don't Give Up On Me"

Where does Leni Stern fit?

She isn't a blues singer/ guitarist but the feeling's there…despite the classification on the sleeve, she isn't a jazz singer/ guitarist or for that matter Indie pop or worldbeat artist either…but the feeling's there.

Born in Germany Leni formed her own acting company there before returning to her first love….music…in 1977. Moving to New York shortly after, Leni soon became involved in the jazz and rock community , gaining critical acclaim for her guitar playing. She recorded 12 guitar albums before her first vocal album "Black Guitar" in 1997.

During this period she was also heavily involved in film scoring. Leni's latest release "Finally The Rain Has Come" showcases her singing and guitar on 11 melodically distinctive songs, all original compositions except for " Bury Me Standing". In fact it was Leni's elegantly swinging guitar on that song that made me decide to include the CD in Blues Corner.

I had to smile, though, when I read the accompanying biography which recommended that the listener file under jazz. Maybe we could invent a special "Outside The Square" category. Of course Leni has the chops and creativity to perform whatever she chooses and the personnel roster includes some of best jazzers around; Bill Frisell on guitar; Zakir Hussain on tabla, Michael Brecker on tenor sax or John McLaughlin whose guitar sprays the title song with his trademark machine-gun fireworks.

Even so Leni's music keeps the songs firmly in her sights with a fully, developed vocal style that subsumes her guitar and the influences that swim around her. If asked, I would describe "Finally The Rain Has Come" as consummate song-craft with Irish/Celtic leanings. A great record whatever the category. Richard Jasiutowicz

In the 60s the singer was at the centre of a powerful new musical development called funk. Drawing on African polyrhythms and over the top gospel-jazz testifying it proved to be more than just a passing trend. However if you think that JB acted alone then perhaps the following quotation from Rickey Vincent, author of the definitive book on the subject "Funk", will put it all into a more realistic perspective. "The first 'funk' that we know and love began when Maceo Parker joined JB's band and the two began performing."

What funk fan could forget Maceo's squalling sax lines that so energised such 60's black music anthems as "Cold Sweat" and "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag"? The latest release by Maceo Parker, Made By Maceo was recorded last year when the great saxophonist was 59 years of age, yet there's no sign of slowing down...MORE

While "Outbreak" (ESC Records) might not have the broad palette of the above-reviewed, its raw hard as nail approach will certainly have everyone shaking.

Slinky organ, sax, piano, John's hair-raising guitar breaks and plenty of driving backbeats….and being a drum-led session Dennis just loves to spice the proceedings with some jaw-dropping drum rolls here and there.

Even though this is a full-on session, there's oodles of variety, interplay and stimulating tempo shifts with some of the music exploding into the wild polyrhythmic jazz-funk that Miles mapped out in the 70s. The body might still at these moments but the head won't. Just the stuff needed to send your Liberace-loving mother-in-law packing.

It's sobering to think that these 4 releases, all of them released within the last 6 months not only contain many of the innovators of the two main branches of the funk genre but also prove that the music is alive and kicking furiously. For those whose concept of funk rests solely on its sound as a marketing mantra for the conservative corporate world above are four telling reasons to get on down and out of the elevator. RJ July 2003