Will Jacobs & Marcos Coll - Takin' Our Time
Jacobs is a singer and guitarist originally from Chicago but now living in Berlin, here teaming up with Spanish harmonica player Marcos Coll, also currently a resident of Berlin. The pair begin the effort by romping through the Z.Z. Hill-associated "It Ain't Safe," a Clarence Carter/George Jackson co-write with amusing lyrics advising against cheating; "It's safer for you to choke a gorilla with a shoestring/Than for you to ever cause me any heartaches or pain" for example. Jacobs is in his twenties but he sings with a voice that is clearly experienced beyond his years, while Coll has a ball on cuts like "Stranded" where he is up front for a good deal of the song, and on the funky instrumental "C.J.s Bounce." Another fun cut is also an instrumental; the fast, harmonica-driven dance track "Blues Cazorla Boogie" also features twangy guitar and just screams "I dare you to sit still for this one!"

Mary Lane - Travelin' Woman
Lane doesn't sing like the 83-year-old that she is but all that cumulative life experience shows up in the music here; not only does Mary know her way around the Chicago blues but she knows too about the subject matter. On "Ain't Gonna Cry No More," a my-man-done-left-me song, she's adamant about not crying over the situation, when in real life you know she's shed buckets of tears. Similarly, "Leave That Wine Alone" offers prudent advice, and no doubt she's felt the emotion expressed in the slow and soulful "Let Me into Your Heart" many times. The listen here is incredibly warm because Lane has an amazing knack for making it all seem so personal.