Chris Cain has been a first rate blues voice for many years. Joe Bonamassa’s brief liner remarks point out that Cain “has the voice of BB King and the chops of Albert King.” That’s a dead-on observation. I’ve been a Chris Cain fan for close to 30 years. I don’t know if it was poor label support, or not touring. Something has kept him from being the household name that he oughta be among the blues community. That said, how about this disc on Little Village? Produced by Jim Pugh and Kid Anderson and recorded at Anderson’s Greaseland Studio, both of the producers are part of the team of accompanists on board. Also in the studio were Larry Taylor on bass, Tony Braunagel on drums, Nancy Wright on tenor sax, Jack Sanford on baritone sax and John Halbleib on trumpet. Cain plays guitar, sings and plays piano. The lineup is impeccable and speaks to the respect with which he is viewed by his peers. There are 10 songs, eight of which are Cain-penned that justify that respect.

“Tired of the Way You Do” opens the program. Cain sings and plays with power and finesse. Both the vocals and the guitar are superb; ditto the backing support. On his “Meanest Woman In Town” the guitar work is searing. He sings that she is “a lonely man’s nightmare/the meanest woman in town” with a killer sax solo to boot. “My Baby Wants to Leave Me” has delightful saxophone support on a tune that sounds classic. That’s the pattern: Solid songwriting delivered by a voice and a guitar to be reckoned with.

His cover of the great Eddie Vinson’s “Kidney Stew” is perfectly swinging and shows off that amazing voice; and the take on Albert King’s “You’re Gonna Need Me” showcases his phenomenal guitar chops. They’re the icing on an already delicious cake. One of the standout blues discs of the year.