Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 62:03
Size: 144,4 MB
Styles: Soul-blues
Scans: Full
1. Two Steps From The Blues (2:38)
2. Cry, Cry, Cry (2:44)
3. I'm Not Ashamed (2:37)
4. Don't Cry No More (2:28)
5. Lead Me On (2:06)
6. I Pity The Fool (2:43)
7. I've Just Got To Forget You (2:35)
8. Little Boy Blue (2:40)
9. St. James Infirmary (2:26)
10. I'll Take Care Of You (2:26)
11. I Don't Want No Woman (2:41)
12. I've Been Wrong So Long (2:21)
13. Close To You (Bonus) (2:05)
14. How Does A Cheatin' Woman Feel? (Bonus) (2:39)
15. You Did Me Wrong (Bonus) (2:36)
16. I Lost Sight On The World (Bonus) (2:36)
17. Wishing Well (Bonus) (2:36)
18. I Don't Believe (Bonus) (2:39)
19. I Learned My Lesson (Bonus) (2:47)
20. I Can't Put You Down Baby (Bonus) (2:39)
21. Farther Up The Road (Bonus) (3:00)
22. Loan A Helping Hand (Bonus) (2:27)
23. Last Night (Bonus) (2:53)
24. You've Got Bad Intentions (Bonus) (2:32)
Without a doubt, "Two Steps from the Blues" is the definitive Bobby "Blue" Bland album and one of the great records in electric blues and soul-blues. In fact, it's one of the key albums in modern blues, marking a turning point when juke joint blues were seamlessly blended with gospel and Southern soul, creating a distinctly Southern sound where all of these styles blended so thoroughly it was impossible to tell where one began and one ended. Given his Memphis background, Bobby "Blue" Bland was perfectly suited for this kind of amalgam as envisioned by producer/arranger Joe Scott, who crafted these wailing horn arrangements that sounded as impassioned as Bland's full-throated, anguished vocals.
It helped, of course, that the songs were uniformly brilliant. Primarily from the pen of Deadric Malone, along with Duke head Don Robey and Scott (among others), these are the tunes that form the core of Bobby "Blue" Bland's legend and the foundation of soul-blues: "Two Steps from the Blues," "I Don't Want No Woman," "Cry, Cry, Cry," "I'm Not Ashamed," "Lead Me On," "Little Boy Blue" - songs so good they overshadow standards like "St. James Infirmary".
These are songs that blur the division between Ray Charles soul and Chess blues, opening the doors for numerous soul and blues sounds, from Muscle Shoals and Stax through the modern-day soul-bluesman. Since this, like many blues albums from the late '50s/early '60s, was a collection of singles, it's possible to find the key tracks, even the entire album, on the numerous Bobby "Blue" Bland collections released over the years, but this remains an excellent, essential blues album on its own terms - one of the greatest ever released. /Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AllMusic
It helped, of course, that the songs were uniformly brilliant. Primarily from the pen of Deadric Malone, along with Duke head Don Robey and Scott (among others), these are the tunes that form the core of Bobby "Blue" Bland's legend and the foundation of soul-blues: "Two Steps from the Blues," "I Don't Want No Woman," "Cry, Cry, Cry," "I'm Not Ashamed," "Lead Me On," "Little Boy Blue" - songs so good they overshadow standards like "St. James Infirmary".
These are songs that blur the division between Ray Charles soul and Chess blues, opening the doors for numerous soul and blues sounds, from Muscle Shoals and Stax through the modern-day soul-bluesman. Since this, like many blues albums from the late '50s/early '60s, was a collection of singles, it's possible to find the key tracks, even the entire album, on the numerous Bobby "Blue" Bland collections released over the years, but this remains an excellent, essential blues album on its own terms - one of the greatest ever released. /Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AllMusic
Two Steps From The Blues mc
Two Steps From The Blues zippy
5 comments:
From RichSoul, I had the album and played it to death or with records, till the grooves got noisey. Thank you so much and I appreciate all the work to include so bonus tracks.One of my all time greats and probably the smoothest mellow song is his " If you could read my mind."
Richsoul, thank you, I hope I post it right. Truly a great sound from the Blue man himself.
You're welcome Richsoul, glad you enjoyed the post. And thanks for your comment, you got it right the first time. For certain reasons we moderate all comments which means it may take a little while before they are published and visible.
First had this 40 years ago,been listening ever since.The bonuses from his early Duke recordings ad nice variation.
Thanks.Michael
You're welcome Michael, glad you enjoyed the post. Thanks for your comment.
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