J.P. Reali’s Grateful Blues may not seem a wholly original thought, at least upon a cursory glance, given Luther Dickinson and Datrian Johnson’s vividly wrought Dead Blues Volume I, released late in 2025. Rather than do what the NMA co-founder and his compatriot did, that is, assemble blues material covered by the iconic band, Reali and company arrange a discerning selection of Dead material in a largely authentic style. Given that slant, it should come as no surprise that the late Ron ‘Pigpen’ McKernan figures heavily in the mix. And that’s an especially confounding turnabout if only because the song is built from the A/A/B structure so common to blues songs. Nevertheless, Reali’s slide stands out in the rich audio mix there, sonics that permeate the whole of Grateful Blues courtesy Lev Siskind’s recording (further enhanced through Andy Kravitz’ mixing and mastering).