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Gary Clark Jr The Story Of Sonny Boy Slim

Mixing blues, soul and funk with R&B, Gary is one of a new generation of players reimagining the blues. Check out Grinder to hear his take on Hendrix-style solos (with a hint of Prince). Star takes a funkier direction, with its repetitive chord figure and Marvin-Gaye-style vocal arrangement. Hold On is more reminiscent of Motown, still with Gary’s supercharged soloing at centre stage.

Joe Bonamassa Sloe Gin

An album that showed Joe diversifying from the traditional blues format, this contains the funky Another Kind Of Love – though if you like your blues in more of an epic power-ballad style, the title track may be up your street – lots of melodic ideas to steal here. Moving a little back towards the traditional 12-bar structure, Black Night has plenty of muscular-sounding guitars to enjoy.

Eric Gales Middle Of The Road

Eric’s latest album, this release contains several tracks of interest such as the funkinfluenced Carry Yourself, a hint of reggae on Change In Me, plus a much more aggressive rock-style approach on I’ve Been Deceived. There’s also a lot of excellent footage of his unusual left-handed style, playing a right-handed guitar upside down – definitely a few licks to steal for the modern blues aficionado!