Linsey Alexander "Come Back Baby"

(Delmark) Blues as an artform can be as limiting or as expansive as you want it to be, although if you want to work regularly at blues bars, limiting yourself is pretty prudent. Thus, the trick is that if you are using the formula, hitting the marks, and doing what the crowd demands, you also figure out how to inject your own personality, communicate some genuine personal joy, and maintain aself-reflective sense of humor. Alexander’s songwriting has just enough of a fun edge, his singing is just right, with true earnestness and little winks mixed evenly, and he comfortably settles into the comfy bed of a slick band without falling into sleepy hackishness. Pus his song about Chicago snow is as much an exploration of meteorology as it is a metaphor for hartbreak, so you got love the Tom Skilling of Blues. Bonus points for a "Booty Call" blues song not done in an Ichiban style.