My Head Is Bald: Live At Vern's Friendly Lounge, Chicago

James Yancy Jones, known professionally as Tail Dragger, is on the radical edge of contemporary blues simply by not changing a thing since he first hit the Chicago blues scene from his native Arkansas in the 1960s. A Howlin' Wolf protege, Jones has grown into his role as an elder statesman, and in an era when drums are processed and guitar leads are as much synthesizer as they are strings, his "just the old blues, thank you, Ma'am," approach is downright refreshing. My Head Is Bald, a live set from Vern's Friendly Lounge on Chicago's West side, is as comfy as a pair of old wool socks, and while Jones isn't particularly innovative -- he still sounds like an ever-so-slightly polished-up version of the Wolf -- his version of the blues is so familiar and devoid of flash that it feels lived in and real, and original songs like "Tend to Your Business" and "Prison Blues" seem like they've been around forever. A Tail Dragger show is predictable, but that's the charm of it. This is blues in the neighborhood bar. You wouldn't want it to sound any other way. ~ Steve Leggett|