It took bluesman Joe Louis Walker 20 years to establish himself, but once he released his debut, Cold Is the Night, in 1986, he quickly became a staple in contemporary blues. Walker drew upon blues, soul, and gospel in equal measure, a combination that sounded electrifying upon his national debut, but this hybrid also allowed him to play in a variety of settings, both on-stage and on record. Later recordings, such as 1996's The Gift, 2004's New Direction, and 2009's Between a Rock and the Blues offered acclaimed examples of his versatility, leading to a 2013 induction into the...