7/10

Ever since he first emerged, Chicago's Terry Blade has always looked to take the classic sound of US blues to new and inventive heights. Across a wave of highly-praised releases in recent years, he has been able to conjure an organic direction of the genre, and rebrand it for a modern ear. And with plenty of acclaim under his belt lately, he now returns with his latest studio album 'Chicago Kinfolk: The Juke Joint Blues', a record that looks to pay homage to the Juke Joint era that first brought the blues sound to the wider world.

Mixing a blend of retro-infused compositions with old interview recordings of some of the legends of the scene, 'Chicago Kinfolk: The Juke Joint Blues' is this beautifully refined offering that takes him all the way back to his own roots and the origins of many of his inspirations as well. Crafted as a love letter to those that have influenced him in the biggest way, this ten-track outing finds him in this wonderfully riveting guise as he keeps the production as stripped-back as possible, making for a brilliantly intimate listen to boot. Capturing the same simple, almost live, performances that the genre is most known for, Terry Blade returns to the fold with some of his most captivating material to date here.

While it has certainly been a bold and impactful time for him lately, 'Chicago Kinfolk: The Juke Joint Blues' shows he is still brimming with plenty of fresh and immersive ideas in which to explore. Moving with this soft and subtle elegance as it plays, Terry Blade is paying his respects to the legends of the game in the most tantalising way possible here.