Contemporary Blues

Sometimes it's hard to get a handle on exactly what can be described as blues, as opposed to rock; the two genres have grown inextricably intertwined, with an ever-heavier reliance on marathon guitar solos. But like any musical idiom, blues has to evolve to survive, absorbing outside influences from hip-hop to rock to soul. These artists will ensure that it won't turn into a museum piece.

Crunching, rock-slanted electric guitar powers a lot of contemporary blues; but there's also a new generation of acoustic players with their own intriguing stories to tell. Pianists have, sadly, faded from prominence as blues staples, but blazing harpists still roam our land at will.

There's no telling what directions blues will take in coming decades, but it's up-and-comers like these who will determine its fate. Jump on their bandwagons now!

Contemporary blues takes the acoustic and electric traditions and updates them with a smoothed-out, polished style composed of flourishes of rock, pop, and R&B. Maybe it's not as gritty as the old stuff, but it's deep, dark, and soulful nonetheless. Taste some blues 21st century-style with this 75-track survey of its greatest singers and players.