Joe Louis Walker - Cold Is The Night (1986/2020)

The Bay Area blues guitarist's debut album sounds underproduced compared to what would soon follow -- and that's no knock. Walker's gritty, expressive vocals and ringing, concise guitar work shine through loud and clear in front of his band, the Boss Talkers. Walker and his producers Dennis Walker and Bruce Bromberg wrote virtually the entire set, including the slashing "Cold Is the Night," "Don't Play Games," and "One Woman."