Charlie Musselwhite - Ace of Harps (1990)

Twenty-seven years and fourteen albums since taking up the Chicago blues torch, Musslewhite's rich instrumental tone has the emotional specificity of a spectrographic analysis and his low voice saturates lyrics with unfeigned feeling. Today, too, his working band-three firebrands conversant with funk and rock as well as blues changes-keeps him alert, though it should have butted out on this set's wistful chestnut, "Yesterdays." On ten songs, including a country blues featuring his acoustic guitar, Musslewhite is compelling more often than entertaining.