*** John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers

BLUES FOR THE LOST DAYS

(Silvertone)

This is more of the same contempo-blues power rock that Mayall's organization has been turning out for years. Except that this time, the emphasis is on originals penned by the captain himself. Highlights include "Dead City" and "Stone Cold Deal" -- a pair of commentaries on social issues and urban violence -- and two retrospective looks at Mayall's comin'-up days on the London blues scene ("All Those Heroes" and the disc's title track). There are some drawbacks: Freddy King's "Hideaway" is unnecessary filler, and "You Are for Real" (where Mayall extolls the virtues of his wife) is the kind of sunny, touchy-feely throwaway that got him into trouble in the '70s. But at 64, he's never sung or blown harmonica better, and Bluesbreakers Buddy Wittington, Joe Yuele, and John Paulus are as steady as an ocean liner.

-- Mark Edmonds

(John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers play Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel (401-272-5876) in Providence this Saturday, May 10, and the House of Blues (491-BLUE) in Cambridge this Monday, May 12.)