It’s been six years since Chicago blues veterans Howard & the White Boys last put out a CD, but their new Evidence Records release, Made in Chicago, more than makes up for lost time. Their impressively large fan base on both sides of the Atlantic won’t be disappointed. Not by a long shot. Made in Chicago represents the zenith of the band’s recorded output, and it’s certainly the disc that Howard & the White Boys are most proud of. While the band hasn’t recorded in six years, they’ve been gigging continuously throughout the U.S. and Europe and this has lent their trademark brand of contemporary blues an indomitable tightness brimming with raw power. All of this comes through on the new disc, proving that the wait was well worth it.

The members of Howard & the White Boys first met at Northern Illinois University in Dekalb in 1988 and began jamming together just for fun, but their fast-growing popularity soon convinced them they could make a career of it. After only a few months, they got their first big break by opening for B.B. King. The band soon made the move to Chicago and began performing with the biggest names in blues: Koko Taylor, Albert King, Junior Wells, Lonnie Brooks, Luther Allison, Bo Diddley, and Chuck Berry