Etta James - I'd Rather Go Blind

A few years ago, I worked near a now-defunct CD Warehouse and would browse the discount racks on the odd lunch break.  At the time, I was digging through blues records to get a better understanding of the genre and found an Etta James greatest hits album.  With CD’s being phased out, I grabbed the album cheap and started picking out favourites.  To be completely honest, a lot her songs didn’t play to my tastes, but one song in particular captured my heart.

‘I’d Rather Go Blind’ is one of Etta’s better known songs, and for good reason.  The backing track to her vocals is smooth and swingy with very little effort.  A strong bass line and simple high hat is all that’s needed to set the stage for Etta to pour her heart out.  The soul of the song can be heard in the soft chorus and organ that accents every sentiment sung.

A song about heartache and undying love, ‘I’d Rather Go Blind’ shows exactly what the blues/gospel does so well.  Like so many of the greatest torch songs, ‘I’d Rather Go Blind’ hits on that powerfully low feeling that comes with breaking up with someone.  The feeling of desperation and self-pity oozes from every word, and does so with a sincerity that can only come from a legend like Etta James.

B.B. King & Eric Clapton - Help the Poor

In university, I hit a phase where I delved into blues with both feet.  Finding greatest hits compilations for legends like Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, B.B. King, Etta James, and many more, I ate through CD's finding songs that I could get excited about.  Wading through hundreds of songs, I found that I didn’t care for the vast majority of them but inevitably had my own favourite hand picked gems.  One song that always seems to be my go-to for blues music is a collaboration between legends B.B. King and Eric Clapton.  Together, they released the 2000 album 'Riding with the King' with the track ‘Help the Poor’.

Originally released in the 1960s by B.B. King, 'Help the Poor' is a song written by Charles Singleton, a prolific writer for artists like Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra.  For me, 'Help the Poor' has everything that I tend to gravitate to when it comes to blues music.  Instead of being stereotypically slow and sleepy, the song has an upbeat swingy tempo.  Incredible guitar solos from two of the biggest blues legends don’t compete against each other, but instead roll off of each other to enhance the song.  With catchy riffs and a great chorus hook, ‘Help the Poor’ is a go-to song that I’d recommend to anyone breaking into the blues genre.

Tracy Chapman - Give Me One Reason

When this song came out, I believe I was only about 10 years old.  I wish I could say I was a savvy cool music kid back then, but I was very much the opposite.  "Give Me One Reason" had come and gone and I was none the wiser until over a decade later when I started learning guitar and getting into blues music.  Tracy Chapman's song had instant appeal, and I fell in love with the soulful bass-line.  This song has a very calming effect on me and, more often than not, I find that I have to replay it as soon as it's over.