** Various Artists

HOUND DOG TAYLOR, A TRIBUTE

(Alligator)

"When I die they'll say, 'He couldn't play shit, but he sure made it sound good.' " That's Theodore Roosevelt "Hound Dog" Taylor, quoted in the notes of this tribute, which is being released 23 years after the blues man's death. One of the most raucous performers on a raucous instrument -- the electric slide guitar -- Hound Dog spent his life powering small, tough-as-nails combos around Chicago. On this collection contemporary blues guitarists slip a steel tube over a fret finger to pay respects, including George Thorogood, Lil' Ed Williams, and Magic Slim. Nearly every tune is lifted from Taylor's own playlist, though -- as Elvin Bishop notes before kicking off "Let's Get Funky" -- Taylor was not inclined to heed lists.

The late Luther Allison's take on "Give Me Back My Wig" is a primer on the simplicity, power, and rock-and-roll energy of both the slide guitar and Taylor, as he builds a brick-and-mortar solo between howling, growling vocal choruses. Gov't Mule, Thorogood, and Australian pyrotechnician Dave Hole crank the volume on their cuts. Only one tune would be unfamiliar to Taylor: the beautiful elegy "Wayward Angel," written by guitarist Ronnie Earl and sung by Paul Rishell.

-- Bill Kisliuk