Glenn Kaiser

Item: Blues Heaven: The Best of Glenn Kaiser's Blues
Author: Josh Marihugh

Blues Heaven: The Best of Glenn Kaiser's Blues

(1999)

Reviewed by Josh Marihugh

Discogs Apple Music Spotify

Label Grrr RecordsThe Phantom Tollbooth1999

blues blues rock gospel blues

Glenn Kaiser has been making music for more than 25 years, amassing "approximately 26 or so recordings," as he writes in the liner notes of his newest album. After all of this, could one disc hope to contain "the best of Glenn Kaiser's blues" as this effort claims? Grrr Records seems determined to give it their best.

The CD collects songs from the combined catalogs of the Resurrection Band, the Glenn Kaiser/Darrell Mansfield collaborations, and Glenn's solo blues discs. The timeline spans from the late 1970's (Resurrection Band's "The Return" from 1978) to the late 1990s (Resurrection Band's "Souls for Hire" from 1997).

The folks at Grrr decided to add something special, a previously unreleased live version of Glenn's "Ain't Much Difference" taped at Cornerstone 1994. While it's a fine mix, it does not appear to have been mixed specifically for recording, as there seem to be no audience mics. It's still a great addition.

Other noteworthy tracks include the audience-assisted Resurrection Band on "My Jesus is All" (from Rez Twenty Years Live) and "If I Leave This World Tomorrow," a Mansfield/Larry Howard/Kaiser track from 1995's Into the Night.

One track was in the preliminary set list that didn't make it to the final cut, 1993's "On My Dyin' Bed". While Wendi Kaiser's vocals have a lot less of a blues "feel" to them, I still think this could have easily fit in.

Overall, Blues Heaven serves as a great introduction to the world of Glenn Kaiser's blues. The beautiful cover, which unfolds into a 6-panel poster featuring multiple pictures of Glenn over the years, completes the package.

4 tocks