FEATURES

Soul Queens: A diva herself (a regular guest vocalist with the Saturday Night Live Band with five CDs of her own), songstress and Queen of the Beehive Christine Ohlman looks at Soul’s Matriarchy, past, present and future

Tonight’s Harlem: Residents play BBall in the afternoon, but at night, Harlem lights up and plays jazz, man, and the whole world comes uptown to listen

DEPARTMENTS

Letter from the Publisher: A hard look at easy chairs, and a New Year’s pep talk from the publisher

Goodbye: Two fond farewells, to two who marched to a different drum

Kickin’ In Your Stall: Carl Gustafson, a few bucks shy of a billion, reveals his rating system for blues authenticity. He’s already down 10 points because he can spell “authenticity”

Pet Sounds: On a trip though the Delta, Ali Green finds a lot more than ribs at an Oxford BBQ, she finds blues licks a la Burnside and Lightnin’ Malcolm

Influences: Hand them strings, and they’ll make new music. Iconoclasts Charlie Daniels and Sam Bush blaze new trails through country

On The Record: Hank Williams’ turn as a DJ, once in a dumpster, makes a stunning box set; Dylan’s Bootleg Series also surfaces; Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson rattle our bones while Kaplan-Shaw offer a little Mojo Café and Science Faxtion live on another frequency altogether

Ear Candy: spotlights Paul Thorn’s A Long Way From Tupelo, a trip

Re.Issues: Sugar Mountain (with DVD), Neil Young’s solo act; Graham Nash’s solo debut, too. Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, Warren Zevon and Jimmy Eat World come ‘round again

Get a Grip: The door’s always open to Steve Walbridge’s old pal Jack White, and anyone he recommends

Also Appearing: Ben E. King! Jerry Lee Lewis! David Bennett Cohen! Cowboy Jack Clement! Who doesn’t have a middle name? The Who!

What’d I Say: A walk through the new-bluesman section; Jim Hynes’ ideal workout

Collecting: What’s the difference between a collectible record and a rare record? About five grand. Arnie Goodman explains the finer points, with examples