From the Dust

The Lady and Mr. Johnson Recording for forty years now, Rory Block has devoted the entirety of her newest album to the songs of Robert Johnson. This is no mere dalliance or bandwagon jumping for her, as this music has informed her own musical path from the outset, starting with her love of his records wh...	Best Blues & Originals	Last Fair Deal A veteran blueswoman, Rory Block proves herself both a traditionalist and an explorer through this selection of blues classics, spiritual standards, and original material with a kindred spirit. She pays homage to her musical roots with impeccable renditions of songs associated wi...	High Heeled Blues	Confessions of a Blues Singer Confessions of a Blues Singer is a confessional indeed; in addition to ten top-rate blues and blues-oriented tracks (including a rendition of "Titanic (When That Great Ship Went Down)" that is the perfect antidote to Celine Dion overexposure), there are two testimonial songs, epi...
Gone Woman Blues This collection of 24 songs from premier Delta blues guitarist Rory Block is a tasty treat, serving up some of her best material from the past decade. Though there are only two original songs ("Gone Woman Blues" and "Take My Heart Again"), the covers are excellent, accentuating t...	Rory Block In Concert Experience the sensational blues artist Rory Block live in concert! Recorded in St. Louis' historic Sheldon Concert Hall, this DVD captures Rory's soulful singing, dazzling guitar technique and openhearted communication with her delighted audience. In a riveting 15-song set, Ro...	Sisters & Brothers That the trio recorded this stunning, spiritual-minded collaboration in the town of Unity, Maine, is one of life's fortuitous coincidences. Although their voices are dissimilar, Maria Muldaur, Eric Bibb, and Rory Block share roots in folk, gospel, and blues. Brought together, alo...	When a Woman Gets the Blues	Blues Walkin' Like a Man: A Tribute To Son House

The Blues, with Attitude
Rory Block has been at this gig for a while. It shows. Meaning all that experience, all that music played, all that time on the road and in the studio, it all shows up in this album. She is so much more than a slide guitar player. So much more than "just" a blues singer. This is a singer-songwriter who knows how to get a hold of her listeners and not let go. This is a woman with a heart full, a wry and very impish sense of human as well as a sense of purpose. (Listen to "Runaway Dog" to get that humor and purpose in one song.) The gospel influences run in and out of her songs and that thread ties the package together nicely. It isn't in your face and it isn't so subtle you can't find it. It's just there, honest, and so filled with meaning you wonder why no one else has captured this essence quite like Rory. Then I realized, no one else is exactly like Rory Block and that's a very good discovery. I am a slow learner here and didn't discover Rory Block until recently. Now I will be collecting more.

A Solid Effort
After spending twenty years with Rounder Records, Rory Block released one of the best albums of her career in 2003 with her Telarc debut LAST FAIR DEAL. And to prove that was no fluke, the 55-year-old slide guitarist has done it again with FROM THE DUST. This is a solid collection of mostly original material. The covers are Muddy Waters' "I Be Bound," Robert Johnson's "Stones In My Passway," Charley Patton's "From the Dust" and Son House's Dry Spell Blues. All told, this is a solid collection from the reigning queen of the blues. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED