Hard Again

This was the first album Muddy Waters cut on Columbia's new Blue Sky imprint. With blues-rock firebrand Johnny Winters producing, the sexagenarian blues legend experienced an exhilarating artistic (and commercial) rebirth. All the players were part of Muddy's road band except for Winter, who pared down his signature speed-demon style to the bare essentials. By turns both brash and authoritative, Muddy and company kick up a storm straight out of the gate with a slashing, stomping take on Waters' classic "Mannish Boy" that rivals his original version, and things don't let up for an instant from there on.