The blues that came out this year

The year opened with an all-instrumental guitar record, an acoustic Tinsley Ellis, and two of the first Delmark-adjacent Chicago debuts of the cycle.

• 30 Jan

  My Voice

  Laura ChavezUnited States

  The Texas guitarist’s debut as a leader, fully instrumental: the guitar takes the place of a singer.

  Ruf Records
• 30 Jan

  Labor Of Love

  Tinsley EllisUnited States

  His second all-acoustic album, and the first made up entirely of his own songs.

  Alligator Records
• 20 Feb

  Blast Off!

  Duke Robillard & His All Star BandUnited States

  His debut for Nola Blue and roughly his thirty-ninth album: blues, swing and jump, with a song he wrote at seventeen.

  Nola Blue Records
• 20 Feb

  It’s All Been Said

  PepperCreek Revival with Kelly AutyAustralia

  Soul-blues from a Melbourne collective, ten tracks that reached the top five of the Australian blues airplay chart.

  Independent
• 27 Feb

  Slideways

  Lil’ Ed & The Blues ImperialsUnited States

  The Chicago slide institution’s tenth Alligator album, cut with the line-up that has held together for decades.

  Alligator Records
• 27 Feb

  Bill’s Cafe

  Garret T. WillieCanada

  The British Columbia blues-rocker’s second album, recorded in Nashville with Tom Hambridge and named for his grandfather’s café.

  Cordova Bay / Gulf Coast
• 13 Mar

  Hoggar

  TinariwenMali / Algeria

  A return to the band’s acoustic, campfire-songwriting foundations, with José González among the guests.

  Wedge Records
• 20 Mar

  Mike Finnigan

  Mike FinniganUnited States

  A posthumous self-titled album from the Hammond B3 master, completed by producer J.J. Blair with Kelly Finnigan, Stephen Stills and Joe Bonamassa.

  Forty Below Records
• 20 Mar

  Colonial Drift

  William CrightonAustralia

  The ARIA-winning songwriter’s follow-up to Water and Dust, written with Julieanne Crighton and featuring the late Rob Hirst.

  ABC Music
• 27 Mar

  What Happens Next?

  Gabe StillmanUnited States

  The guitarist’s second album and his first for Gulf Coast.

  Gulf Coast Records
• 27 Mar

  Electric Swamp Funkin’ Blues

  Selwyn BirchwoodUnited States

  His fifth Alligator record, self-produced: lap steel, deep blues and Southern funk in one set.

  Alligator Records

Spring belonged to the songwriters: a St. Louis homecoming, a Nashville-made hill-country stomp, and a live retrospective from fifty years of gigging.

• 17 Apr

  Legacy Rewind: Live in ’25

  Curtis SalgadoUnited States

  A live retrospective cut at The Triple Door in Seattle with a fifteen-piece band, drawing on fifty years of soul and blues.

  Nola Blue Records
• 24 Apr

  Outside Or The Eastside

  Mike ZitoUnited States

  A homecoming record written around his native St. Louis, his fourth solo studio album for the label.

  Gulf Coast Records
• 15 May

  Burn the House Down

  Ghalia VoltBelgium

  Her sixth album, recorded in Nashville with JD Simo, running from hill-country stomp to soul.

  Ruf Records
• 15 May

  Assikel

  TamikrestMali

  Desert blues-rock cut live to sixteen-track tape in Haarlem, with Ibrahim Ag Alhabib guesting.

  Glitterbeat Records
• 22 May

  What Am I Supposed To Do

  Gráinne DuffyIreland

  Nine tracks of raw blues-rock recorded in Los Angeles with Marc Ford and Justin Stanley producing.

  Independent
• May

  Back to the Blues

  Danny MarksCanada

  A career-summarising homecoming record from the Toronto guitarist and broadcaster, produced with Alec Fraser Jr.

  Independent
• 29 May

  Gypsy Blue Revue

  JP Soars feat. Anne HarrisUnited States

  A collaboration with violinist Anne Harris, recorded live in one room rather than assembled track by track.

  Forty Below Records
• 29 May

  Roots & Wings

  Amani BurnhamUnited States

  The debut from a twenty-year-old Connecticut guitarist who plays with his thumb instead of a pick.

  Blind Pig Records
• 29 May

  13 Hours

  Jason Ricci & The Bad KindUnited States

  His third Gulf Coast album, cut at Dockside Studios in Louisiana and dedicated to the late drummer John Perkins.

  Gulf Coast Records

The densest stretch of the year: Delmark put out three records in a fortnight, Alligator shipped two, and the Ma Rainey reissue year gave way to new writing.

• 3 Jul

  Nine Blues Originals

  Giles RobsonUnited Kingdom

  The harmonica player’s first all-originals album, recorded as a duo with guitarist Manny Fizzotti and closing with a tribute to Joe Louis Walker.

  Independent
• 10 Jul

  Blue Collar

  Chris O’LearyUnited States

  Eleven originals from the harmonica player and former Levon Helm Barn Burners singer: Chicago blues, Memphis soul, New Orleans funk.

  Alligator Records
• 24 Jul

  What Can We Do?

  Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra feat. Willy JordanUnited States

  The twelve-piece San Francisco retro-soul band, produced by Larry Batiste, with eleven originals and one cover.

  Nola Blue Records
• 29 Jul

  Broken Souvenirs

  Bywater CallCanada

  The Toronto seven-piece’s fourth album, pushing further into Southern soul behind Meghan Parnell’s voice.

  Continental Record Services
• 31 Jul

  Grits & Glory

  Albert CastigliaUnited States

  Recorded at Abbey Road, an explicit nod to the British blues records that shaped him.

  Gulf Coast Records
• 31 Jul

  Kel Tamasheq

  Amanar de KidalMali

  A self-produced Tuareg guitar album recorded in small Bamako studios over several years, led by Ahmed Ag Kaedy.

  Sahel Sounds
• 21 Aug

  Live On 11/11

  Joanna ConnorUnited States

  Her first live album in a three-decade career, recorded at The Fallout Shelter in Norwood, Massachusetts.

  M.C. Records
• 28 Aug

  Fireflies

  Danielle NicoleUnited States

  Her fourth solo album, produced by Tony Braunagel, with Luther Dickinson and Brandon Miller guesting.

  Forty Below Records
• 28 Aug

  This Trip

  Kevin BurtUnited States

  The Iowa soul-blues singer’s fourth studio album, recorded in Waterloo and built around stripped-down storytelling.

  Gulf Coast Records
• 28 Aug

  Past Time Shadow

  Thorbjørn Risager & Emil BalsgaardDenmark

  A duo record from the Black Tornado frontman and his pianist of thirty years, recorded at Kobberfabrikken.

  Independent
• 4 Sep

  Old Fashion Plain

  Harrison KennedyCanada

  The JUNO-winning Hamilton singer returns to straight classic and acoustic blues with songs he has long loved.

  Electro-Fi Records
• 18 Sep

  Where Were You

  Anthony GeraciUnited States

  The pianist and bandleader’s Delmark debut, Chicago blues crossing into jazz and soul with Sheryl Youngblood and Dave Specter.

  Delmark Records
• 18 Sep

  Chicago Cowboy: South Side Stories

  Jamiah Rogers & Dirty ChxrchUnited States

  A Delmark debut from the Chicago guitarist: blues-rock and funk built on a South Side foundation.

  Delmark Records
• 18 Sep

  Son of a Sinner

  Jovin WebbUnited States

  His second album, again produced by Tom Hambridge, moving from swampy blues toward gospel and Southern rock.

  Blind Pig Records
• 18 Sep

  Lookin’ Out My Window

  Brandon IsaakCanada

  Horns and piano behind his eighth solo album, with The Saints of Swing and a run of social-commentary songs.

  Modern Primitive Records
• 25 Sep

  Pull Up The Roots (The Berlin & Hotel Sessions)

  The BoneshakersUnited States

  A deliberately stripped-down six-song set from the Jenny Langer and Randy Jacobs band, mostly cut in Berlin.

  Gulf Coast Records
• 25 Sep

  Shine

  Robin TrowerUnited Kingdom

  Self-produced at eighty-one, guitar and bass handled by Trower with drummer Chris Taggart and singer Richard Watts.

  Provogue / Artone
• 26 Sep

  White Knuckle Time

  Phil Coyne & The Wayward AcesAustralia

  Harmonica-driven Chicago-style blues recorded live in the studio in Melbourne, with a double edition adding a live half.

  Records DK
• 30 Sep

  Steal My Soul

  Justin Saladino BandCanada

  Guitar-driven roots from Montreal, which charted on both the Canadian big blues chart and the Roots Music Report blues chart.

  Independent

Autumn brought the year’s heaviest hitters: a Sherman Holmes statement at eighty-seven, Miko Marks’s first blues record, and Eddie 9V in Dan Auerbach’s studio.

• 9 Oct

  One Step Ahead of the Blues

  Sherman HolmesUnited States

  The eighty-seven-year-old Holmes Brothers co-founder’s late statement, produced by Andreas Werner with Joan Osborne, Catherine Russell and the Blind Boys of Alabama.

  Nola Blue Records
• 9 Oct

  Electric Soul Company

  Electric Soul CompanyUnited States

  A ten-track debut pairing Chicago guitarists Breezy Rodio and Will Jacobs, with Sheryl Youngblood guesting.

  Delmark Records
• 9 Oct

  Running Wild

  Sari SchorrUnited States

  Her third solo album and first for Artone and Provogue, with physical editions following at the end of the month.

  Artone / Provogue
• 10 Oct

  TIMCHAR

  ANEWALNiger

  A desert-blues record made in Douala with Makassi pioneer Sam Fan Thomas, setting Sahelian guitar against Makassi rhythm.

  World Music Network
• 16 Oct

  Loving You

  Bernard AllisonGermany

  Ten tracks built around family and the blues community, with Larry McCray, Devon Allman and Victor Wainwright among the guests.

  Ruf Records
• 16 Oct

  The Open Bayou

  Eric JohansonUnited States

  Self-produced and self-released, pushing his New Orleans blues into heavier, more psychedelic ground.

  Levee Ward Records
• 16 Oct

  Mue

  LittleBig6sterFrance

  Tribal blues from the Angers quintet: blues roots cut with soul, rock, didgeridoo and percussion, recorded live at Le Chabada.

  Wiseband
• 23 Oct

  The Trouble With Love

  Joanne Shaw TaylorUnited Kingdom

  Kevin Shirley-produced blues and soul on the varieties of love, with Joe Bonamassa and Orianthi guesting.

  Journeyman Records
• 23 Oct

  The Blues According To Gutbucket Slim

  Robin DaveyUnited Kingdom

  A deliberately anti-purist solo statement from the guitarist of Beaux Gris Gris and The Hoax.

  Independent
• 23 Oct

  Made In Senegal

  Orchestra BaobabSenegal

  The Dakar band’s first new album in nearly a decade, continuing its Afro-Cuban and Wolof griot fusion.

  Strut Records
• 30 Oct

  Hell or High Water

  Miko MarksUnited States

  Her first dedicated blues album after years in country, gospel and Americana, produced by Justin Phipps.

  Redtone Records
• 6 Nov

  Down Here

  Eddie 9VUnited States

  His Easy Eye Sound debut, produced by Dan Auerbach in Nashville.

  Easy Eye Sound
• 2026

  Bridge Street Blues

  Dave ThomasUnited Kingdom

  A career-reflective record from the 1960s British blues veteran, cut in Ireland with Declan Sinnott. No month was published.

  Blonde On Blonde Direct

Dated for the rest of November and not yet in shops when this page was compiled on 12 November 2026.

• 13 Nov

  The Prisoner

  SnakewaterUnited Kingdom

  The British band’s first album in nearly a decade, built around the theme of being trapped in your own head.

  Independent
• 20 Nov

  Trouble Coming to Paris: Live at Le Trianon

  Laura CoxFrance

  Her first live album, recorded at a sold-out Le Trianon in Paris on 10 April 2026.

  earMUSIC / Verycords
• 27 Nov

  Don’t Be A Stranger

  Kai StraussGermany

  Ten tracks blending electric blues with soul and funk.

  Continental Blue Heaven