This is a word about the blues and how cathartic it can be. When you pour yourself into the pure emotion of it, the release approximates crying or even primal screaming. All I know, is that it feels good to get it out of your system, and somehow that magically makes you better. Then there is the form itself, which can be simple but it can be deceptively imaginative, too, as it takes flight in an almost mantra like form. There are so many artists who have added to the language of the blues through the years: Robert Johnson, Otis Spann, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Otis Rush, Skip James, Lightning Hopkins, Memphis Slim, Little Willie John, Elmore James, Slim Harpo. It is impossible to list them all. And then there are the British guys who took the guitar parts up a notch and ripped a hole in your heart, The Stones, Zeppelin, Clapton, Beck. The blues. It is a living, breathing thing.

I listened to my first Moreland & Arbuckle album a couple of years ago, and was delighted in the places they transported me to. The Kansas duo has a new album out, Just A Dream, and they have a couple of mighty cool videos spotlighting the tunes. So on this Tuesday, let’s celebrate the blues and Moreland & Arbuckle with something that I guarantee will make you feel better if you are feeling bad. And I promise it will make you dance if you are feeling good. Steve Cropper adds his playing on the album for the title track, “Just A Dream.” Also, M&A are offering a free download of "Purgatory," which is a smokin’ track, featuring Aaron Moreland playing a cigar box guitar, that you can check out in this video. They are on tour, if you want to catch them out in person.

- Jessie Scott