I know. I yap a lot about the blues in this column. But it's not because I'm getting old and don't care much about rock and such. Hell, I make my living off of that business. But, while rock and roll changes hairstyles more often than a Hollywood starlet, the blues is a constant, changed only by the voices with which it's presented.

To root for rock and roll year after year, you've got to be nimble, quick, able to change frequently with the times, which, of course, I'm all in favor of. But after awhile, all that change, all those fleeting trends, get tiresome and you want to sit back and listen without having to worry about who's on the verge, who's over the hill, and who simply doesn't matter anymore.

The blues, on the other hand, is the faithful spouse, the one thing you can come home to without having to worry if dinner's on the table. Blues is a musical rock, with concrete chord progressions, reliable musicianship (mostly), and empathic emotions. The blues is something you can always fall back on, like the shoulder of a good friend, when times get uncertain. I'm sure it helped lots of people back in September, and will do so again when the going gets tough for any other reason. That's why, like that faithful spouse, we should never take the blues for granted.

And that's why I'll keep yapping about it. And that's also why I feel it important to re-present a handful of the year's best local blues releases.

Vic Foley: Wide Open

OK, so maybe he's not a true blues artist. But he does explore some of the genre's edges and so I thought, Foley being tremendously worthwhile and all, that he should get some year-end notice. Recorded, mixed, and mastered at Portsmouth's Stable Sound Studio, Wide Open is sweet-sounding post-blues and blues rock filtered through Foley's ambitious musical prism. The opener, "Goin' Blind," is nothing short of sublime, and the disc's best track.

At the heart of Wide Open is Foley's, bread and butter, that is, his mesmerizing, neo-SRV guitar work. He even visits Hendrix turf on a cover of "Voodoo Chile," which is dexterously played by the band's rhythm section, drummer John Paul Benitez and bassist Mike Vieira. Strangely enough, Foley's non-guitar spelunking also bears fruit and it might just be the direction that sets him apart from so many of his equally capable blues brethren.

Rory and the Blues Hounds: Providence

Rory and the Blues Hounds truly come into their own with Providence, a colorful array of urban and rural blues and R&B that sounds like they've got their eyes on a Roomful-like repertoire. Led by Rory Malloy's sharp guitar, the band features great performances and accomplished songwriting. Though they touch on country blues, pop, and even world music ("Aboriginal"), their strength remains in meat-and-potatoes blues. That the band is not afraid to take chances is wonderful -- it will only serve to widen their audience from its blues base. But it's that blues base that makes Rory and the Hounds really get after it.

Blueswagon: Jump Start

It doesn't take long to make a great blues record -- that is, if you have the right personnel, the right mindset, and the right conditions. That's what happened with Rick Mendes and Blueswagon back in 2000. They entered the studio to record their first CD and three days of recording and as many days of mixing and mastering later, they emerged with Jump Start, 13 rollicking, authentic R&B tunes that takes its proud place in the storied lineage of local R&B.

Produced by former Roomful of Blues producer/trombonist Carl Querfurth and complemented by the presence of outstanding baritone sax guy Doug James, Jump Start sounds the way an exhilarating date of R&B should: live and loud. "I think it's a really good start," Mendes said in a recent interview. "It's not perfect, but it wasn't meant to be."

The blues, by nature, by very definition, wasn't meant to be perfect, Rick. Thanks for the tunes.

Blueblood: Only Time Will Tell

Like the best blues outfits, Newport's Blueblood take homegrown blues traditions and brand it with their own distinctive marking. bringing it into more pop-oriented, less traditional areas. Guitarist and singer Charlie Meehan, fellow songwriter Ray Davis drummer Jay Perry sure know their way around the blues, as they demonstrate on "Alcohol" and a muscular cover of "Outside Woman Blues." But elsewhere the trio strays from convention with adventures in Larry Carlton fusion ("Only Time Will Tell") and Steely Dan jazz-pop ("North Carolina"), as well as straight rock-pop ("Drive On"). Not everything works as well as the band's blues, but everything sounds hot. The recording, done at Dream Edit studios in Newport by producer/engineer Scott Rancourt, should be commended.

Roomful of Blues: Watch You When You Go

Since 1968, through a myriad lineup changes and more than 15 recordings, Roomful has kept a faith in the blues-swing-R&B that few, if any others have, taking it upon themselves to throw party after nightly party, kicking dance floors into gear with regularity. In fact, Roomful of Blues has transcended the idea of a mere band, of a gaggle of talented guys playing together. Roomful is a tradition, the local scene's most honored and honorable musical traditions. Beyond long term legends like Buddy Guy and B.B. King, they rate as one of the international blues scene's most enduring acts.

One great thing about Roomful is that they prefer their musicians homegrown. For practice/rehearsal purposes, convenience, and pedigree, they select their talent from the local area. Why? Because Rhode Island is one of the few hotbeds of great blues talent in the country. Another terrific aspect of Roomful is that the band virtually never rests. When they're not trotting out the classics around the globe, they're in the studio cutting sides. Their latest work, Watch You When You Go, recorded in beautiful, downtown Wakefield by guitarist Chris Vachon, with assistance by Dave Prout and mastering by Jonathan Wyner at M-Works in Cambridge, is a blast across a galaxy of blues. "Most everything we do is based on the blues," Vachon admits, "but it sounds a little different than most of the blues releases because we try to put different twists on our sound and push the songs in different directions."

Mac Odom, the band's newest singer, has succeeded in bringing added dimensions to the Roomful sound. The tough-but-tender singer's work on "The Salt of My Tears" veers into Muscle Shoals soul territory and his ability to pull off material in a soul/gospel vein has rejuvenated the already stunning Roomful repertoire. Welcome back, my friends to the show that never ends! Come inside . . .

E-mail me with music news at b_gulla@yahoo.com b_gulla@yahoo.com.

Issue Date: January 4 - 10, 2002