Charmed & Dangerous

For 15 years, Altered Five Blues Band has been winning audiences with a swaggering stomp of bruising, barrelhouse grit. According to Downbeat magazine, frontman Jeff Taylor ''sings powerfully''and ''Jeff Schroedl's live-wire guitar reaches the high bar of mixed invention and fluidity.'' Blues Bytes magazine declares the group features ''the funkiest rhythm section outside of Memphis.'' For its fourth album, ''Charmed & Dangerous,'' the Milwaukee-based quintet joins forces with Blind Pig Records, one of the world's premiere blues labels. Produced by multi-Grammy-winner Tom Hambridge (Buddy Guy, Susan Tedeschi, Johnny Winter, etc.), and featuring guests on harmonica and backing vocals, the 13 tracks of original, contemporary blues deliver a fiery mix of deft songwriting and simmering musicianship. Taylor's smoldering baritone howls in the opening title track, and breaths fire-and-brimstone on cuts like ''On My List to Quit'' and ''Three Alarm Desire.'' The soul-drenched ''Eighth Wonder'' and scrapyard shuffle ''Mint Condition'' showcase A5's songcraft, while ''Cookin' in Your Kitchen'' and ''If Your Heart Went Public'' prove you can still rattle the rafters with pure, stone-cold slow blues. The album's third track, ''Three Forks,'' was penned about legendary Delta bluesman Robert Johnson and features music, adapted with permission, from the classic cut ''Crossroads.''