Al Basile‘s new album, B’s Time, is another timeless collection of quintessential songs that, when added to the previous output of the eight-time Blues Music Award-nominated singer/songwriter/cornetist, illustrate what a treasure he is. This year marks the 25^th Anniversary of Sweetspot Records, Basile’s label, and B’s Time is its 20^th release.

The new album, a career retrospective, features 17 tracks from Al’s solo CDs, remastered using the most up-to-date technology by Glenn Halverson at his Sonic Hill Studio in Tennessee. The songs have never sounded so good, and many are from releases early in Al’s career, before he became much better known following his Blues Awards nominations starting in 2010. Listening to the album it becomes clear that Basile has a knack for attracting musicians with sublime abilities and a true sense of play. Throughout, the continuity is Al Basile’s cornet, taking control of the narrative and guiding the songs into discoveries and contemplations and resolutions that make total emotional sense.

It’s an album that offers something for everyone: jazz, swing, R&B, acoustic blues, and electric blues. While fluidity is the dominant theme, there’s a unique groove to each song providing a foundation upon which each instrumentalist can build. While no two tracks are alike, there is clearly a single musical mastermind developing each. Basile’s skills as a producer match his expertise as a musician.