Best Blues albums of all time - Rate Your Music
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Top Blues albums of all time

Separate: live, archival, soundtracks and scores
Updated: 16 April
Average Ratings Reviews
Nina Simone - Nina Simone Sings the Blues, Cover art
20 March 1967 Album
passionate sensual love longing playful breakup melancholic bittersweet
4k Ratings 31 Reviews 3.87 Average
Tom Waits - Closing Time, Cover art
3.82 12k 11,637 205 205
6 March 1973 Album
lonely melancholic nocturnal love romantic alcohol longing poetic
12k Ratings 205 Reviews 3.82 Average
Elizabeth Cotten - Folksongs and Instrumentals With Guitar, Cover art
1958 Album
acoustic pastoral warm raw melodic mellow passionate technical
3k Ratings 27 Reviews 3.81 Average
Junior Wells' Chicago Blues Band - Hoodoo Man Blues, Cover art
November 1965 Album
passionate rhythmic urban sexual nocturnal sensual longing romantic
2k Ratings 49 Reviews 3.80 Average
Mississippi John Hurt - Today!, Cover art
October 1966 Album
acoustic calm soft warm mellow melodic soothing pastoral
1k Ratings 17 Reviews 3.81 Average
Etta James - At Last!, Cover art
3.79 3k 3,361 48 48
15 November 1960 Album
passionate love melodic sentimental breakup sensual romantic lush
3k Ratings 48 Reviews 3.79 Average
Junior Kimbrough - Most Things Haven't Worked Out, Cover art
23 September 1997 Album
repetitive raw rhythmic pessimistic love passionate lonely hypnotic
750 Ratings 10 Reviews 3.81 Average
John Lee Hooker - It Serve You Right to Suffer, Cover art
February 1966 Album
raw rhythmic nocturnal lonely melancholic serious sensual lethargic
2k Ratings 27 Reviews 3.79 Average
Willie Dixon - I Am the Blues, Cover art
24 February 1970 Album
hypnotic sexual passionate sensual
1k Ratings 32 Reviews 3.80 Average
Big Mama Thornton and the Chicago Blues Band - Big Mama Thornton Vol. 2: The Queen at Monterey, Cover art
May 1967 Album
longing melancholic energetic rhythmic raw melodic bittersweet passionate
435 Ratings 5 Reviews 3.81 Average
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble - Couldn't Stand the Weather, Cover art
15 May 1984 Album
energetic rhythmic warm melodic sentimental summer love folklore
3k Ratings 47 Reviews 3.78 Average
Luther Allison - Bad News Is Coming, Cover art
December 1972 Album
urban passionate summer pessimistic energetic warm
555 Ratings 6 Reviews 3.81 Average
Fenton Robinson - Somebody Loan Me a Dime, Cover art
November 1974 Album
rhythmic sad melancholic melodic love passionate breakup sentimental
493 Ratings 7 Reviews 3.81 Average
Buddy Guy - Stone Crazy!, Cover art
3.81 471 471 12 12
June 1981 Album
longing passionate sad raw
471 Ratings 12 Reviews 3.81 Average
Son House - Father of Folk Blues, Cover art
18 October 1965 Album
acoustic pastoral spiritual raw Christian religious depressive lonely
2k Ratings 39 Reviews 3.78 Average
Image blocked in settings
3.76 7k 7,354 118 118
21 September 1976 Album
alcohol humorous bittersweet urban poetic romantic passionate nocturnal
7k Ratings 118 Reviews 3.76 Average
Freddie King - Getting Ready..., Cover art
April 1971 Album
melancholic passionate sad breakup longing lonely warm energetic
835 Ratings 14 Reviews 3.79 Average
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble - Texas Flood, Cover art
13 June 1983 Album
energetic passionate improvisation love technical melodic raw rhythmic
5k Ratings 97 Reviews 3.76 Average
Muddy Waters - Hard Again, Cover art
3.77 2k 2,123 59 59
10 January 1977 Album
raw sexual rhythmic passionate energetic longing playful heavy
2k Ratings 59 Reviews 3.77 Average
Muddy Waters - Folk Singer, Cover art
3.77 3k 2,658 54 54
30 January 1964 Album
acoustic melancholic minimalistic passionate pastoral atmospheric
3k Ratings 54 Reviews 3.77 Average
Muddy Waters - After the Rain, Cover art
12 May 1969 Album
raw passionate playful epic lush rhythmic energetic warm
856 Ratings 14 Reviews 3.79 Average
Muddy Waters - Fathers and Sons, Cover art
18 August 1969 Album
853 Ratings 16 Reviews 3.78 Average
Albert King - Born Under a Bad Sign, Cover art
10 July 1967 Album
melodic rhythmic hedonistic alcohol romantic uplifting breakup sexual
3k Ratings 40 Reviews 3.77 Average
Mississippi John Hurt - Last Sessions, Cover art
November 1972 Album
melancholic acoustic longing meditative lonely
448 Ratings 5 Reviews 3.79 Average
Buddy Guy - Sweet Tea, Cover art
3.77 1k 1,108 27 27
16 May 2001 Album
passionate lonely love raw longing psychedelic heavy rhythmic
1k Ratings 27 Reviews 3.77 Average
Otis Rush - Mourning in the Morning, Cover art
April 1969 Album
playful energetic melodic
220 Ratings 3 Reviews 3.81 Average
Hound Dog Taylor & The Houserockers - Hound Dog Taylor and the Houserockers, Cover art
October 1971 Album
energetic raw hypnotic rhythmic melodic love
958 Ratings 23 Reviews 3.77 Average
Magic Sam Blues Band - West Side Soul, Cover art
September 1968 Album
love rhythmic raw passionate energetic
1k Ratings 39 Reviews 3.77 Average
B.B. King - Completely Well, Cover art
3.76 1k 1,184 16 16
December 1969 Album
energetic rhythmic
1k Ratings 16 Reviews 3.76 Average
Janis Joplin - Pearl, Cover art
3.73 6k 6,397 117 117
11 January 1971 Album
passionate energetic love anthemic breakup longing
6k Ratings 117 Reviews 3.73 Average
Mississippi Fred McDowell - I Do Not Play No Rock 'n' Roll, Cover art
January 1970 Album
raw warm energetic rhythmic repetitive longing playful pastoral
740 Ratings 12 Reviews 3.77 Average
Sonny Boy Williamson - The Real Folk Blues, Cover art
January 1966 Album
raw longing melancholic rhythmic melodic love passionate breakup
290 Ratings 4 Reviews 3.79 Average
Chris Rea - (Blue Guitars), Cover art
3.77 244 244 17 17
17 October 2005 Album
eclectic concept album progressive conscious political lo-fi spiritual religious
244 Ratings 17 Reviews 3.77 Average
Buddy Guy & Junior Wells - Play the Blues, Cover art
July 1972 Album
pessimistic alcohol
395 Ratings 6 Reviews 3.78 Average
Albert King - I'll Play the Blues for You, Cover art
September 1972 Album
408 Ratings 9 Reviews 3.78 Average
John Lee Hooker - Never Get Out of These Blues Alive, Cover art
March 1972 Album
playful ominous
240 Ratings 4 Reviews 3.80 Average
B.B. King - Indianola Mississippi Seeds, Cover art
October 1970 Album
lush rhythmic warm summer love
801 Ratings 13 Reviews 3.76 Average
Luther Allison - Luther's Blues, Cover art
March 1974 Album
passionate
218 Ratings 4 Reviews 3.78 Average
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble - In Step, Cover art
6 June 1989 Album
passionate energetic raw
2k Ratings 42 Reviews 3.74 Average
John Lee Hooker - The Real Folk Blues, Cover art
October 1966 Album
488 Ratings 5 Reviews 3.76 Average
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Soundtracks

  • Ry Cooder - Paris, Texas, Cover art
    1k Ratings 35 Reviews 3.84 Average
    3.84 1k 1,467 35 35
  • Henry Mancini - Touch of Evil, Cover art
    201 Ratings 2 Reviews 3.70 Average
    3.70 201 201 2 2
  • Ry Cooder - Crossroads, Cover art
    261 Ratings 8 Reviews 3.44 Average
    3.44 261 261 8 8
  • Jack Nitzsche - The Hot Spot, Cover art
    160 Ratings 5 Reviews 3.51 Average
    3.51 160 160 5 5
  • Robert Nighthawk - Live on Maxwell Street - 1964, Cover art
    79 Ratings 4 Reviews 3.81 Average
    3.81 79 79 4 4
  • Live

  • Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble - Live at Montreux 1982 & 1985, Cover art
    351 Ratings 15 Reviews 4.00 Average
    4.00 351 351 15 15
  • Muddy Waters - Muddy "Mississippi" Waters Live, Cover art
    554 Ratings 18 Reviews 3.97 Average
    3.97 554 554 18 18
  • John Lee Hooker - Live at Cafe Au-Go-Go, Cover art
    270 Ratings 6 Reviews 3.89 Average
    3.89 270 270 6 6
  • B.B. King - Live in Cook County Jail, Cover art
    1k Ratings 26 Reviews 3.87 Average
    3.87 1k 1,214 26 26
  • Albert King - Live Wire / Blues Power, Cover art
    440 Ratings 9 Reviews 3.89 Average
    3.89 440 440 9 9
  • Archival

  • Jimi Hendrix - :Blues, Cover art
    1k Ratings 52 Reviews 3.97 Average
    3.97 1k 1,485 52 52
  • Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble - Live at Carnegie Hall, Cover art
    294 Ratings 9 Reviews 3.86 Average
    3.86 294 294 9 9
  • John Fahey - Your Past Comes Back to Haunt You: The Fonotone Years [1958-1965], Cover art
    3.84 213 213 7 7
  • James Booker - Resurrection of the Bayou Maharajah, Cover art
    187 Ratings 3 Reviews 3.82 Average
    3.82 187 187 3 3
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