Kid Ramos

With his second album (self-titled, as if it were his debut), Kid Ramos turns in a solid set of greasy roadhouse blues that hits harder than most contemporary blues albums from the '90s. Ramos not only knows how to select his material (all 15 songs are covers, but only "Three Hundred Pounds of Joy" is overly familiar) and can play all variations of blues, but he keeps the record loose and raw, never polishing the sound too much and letting the music breathe. The result is a thoroughly engaging, entertaining set that sucks you in with "Dead Love," keeps your interest through the extraordinary version of James Harman's "Walk-Around Telephone Blues" (the writer contributes harp here), and doesn't let go until the end. An appealing effort that establishes Ramos as a worthy artist in his own right even after years of winning audiences as a member of Roomful of Blues, the Red Devils and the Fabulous Thunderbirds.