Robin Trower - Dreaming The Blues (2004)

Recall (aka Snapper Music) puts out groovy, budget-priced double-disc collections, usually by worthy artists, and this 20-track collection by Brit guitar great Robin Trower is no exception. Culled from studio and live recordings from throughout his recording career, Dreaming the Blues is more than a taste and thankfully less than a bellyful of Trower's particular brand of guitar virtuosity. All the Jimi Hendrix comparisons aside (comparisons he sought out in the '70s), Trower remains an engaging player whose technical acumen rarely if ever gets in the way of the excitement and emotion in his soloing and songwriting, and yes, in that order. As the title suggests, the focus here is on the blues, Trower's psychedelic interpretation of them anyway, and it is not a proper retrospective -- nothing form Caravan to Midnight or the beautiful and criminally underrated In City Dreams is here. But there are also cuts from throughout his solo career (after leaving Procol Harum) -- including a generous helping from the classic Bridge of Sighs album. Recommended.