My 2010 Blues Blast Music Awards Ballot Revealed

Blogcritics announced the nominees for the 2010 Blues Blast Music Awards last month and voting has begun.  Voting continues online through August 31 at Blues Blast's web site and is open to everyone.  Winners will be announced at a ceremony at Buddy Guy's Legends in Chicago on October 28.

Yesterday was the first day of voting and I wasted no time, casting my vote in all eight categories.  Let's discuss who I voted for and why so you, too, can mark your ballot correctly.

Best Contemporary Blues CD

• Joe Louis Walker - Between A Rock And the Blues
• Mike Zito - Pearl River
• Nick Moss - Privileged
• Sean Costello - Sean's Blues
• The Holmes Brothers - Feed My Soul
• Tommy Castro - Hard Believer

Joe Louis Walker's Between A Rock And The Blues won Album Of The Year at the Blues Music Awards in May.  It's a wonderful record and I came very close to voting for it.  Walker is just tremendous.  I'm also very fond of The Holmes Brothers' new disc and have listened to it regularly since buying it a couple months ago.   Both deserve consideration but neither came close.  I had the profound honor of writing liner notes for Nick's Privileged.  It's easily one of the best albums I've heard all year and has been a consistent force at blues radio since its release in March.  This was a no-brainer for me.

Best Traditional Blues CD

• Dave Riley & Bob Corritore - Lucky To Be Living
• David Maxwell & Louisiana Red - You Got To Move
• Eddie C. Campbell - Tear This World Up
• Fiona Boyes - Blues Woman
• The Kilborn Alley Blues Band - Better Off Now
• Mississippi Heat - Let's Live It Up

Another no-brainer here.  Louisiana Red and David Maxwell's You Got To Move won the Acoustic Blues Awards at the BMAs and it's a terrific disc.  So is Eddie C. Campbell's Tear This World Up, a record that was nominated for Album of the Year.  I like them both.  Kilborn Alley Blues Band won the Rising Star Award at the Blues Blast Music Awards last year and they delivered on the promise such an award implies by making the best record of their young career with Better Off Now.  I love everything about it.

Article Author: Josh Hathaway

Josh Hathaway began with Blogcritics in August 2004 and served as writer, and editor and founded the music web site BlindedBySound.com. Follow me on Twitter (http://twitter.com/blindbysound).

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