Various Artists

If you didn't know better, you'd think many tracks on the two-disc Living History were recorded circa 1955. And that's no small accomplishment nowadays. A collection of classic songs by Muddy Waters, Elmore James and many others from the 1940s through the '90s, the recording features a solid core of Chicago players with guest appearances by Buddy Guy, Magic Slim, James Cotton and others. The audio fidelity is clean but not too scrubbed, the performances are skillful but not too polished and the band recaptures the verve of the blues after it was introduced to electric guitars and the sound of big city Chicago.