For those not familiar with the Savoy Brown legacy, their first recordings date back to 1966. Guitarist Kim Simmonds founded of Britain’s earliest blues bands, with lead vocalist Chris Youlden joining0 the band two years later. Youlden, however, departed in 1971 to pursue a solo career. Other band members Dave Peverett, Tony Stevens, and Roger Earl left soon after to create Foghat, going on the recognize a great deal of commercial success during the mid-to-late seventies. Simmonds continued forward to record "Street Corner Talking" later that year, which yielded some commercial success with their cover of the Motown classic "I Can’t Get Next To You". The band hit the United States during the late seventies with a number of releases, including the acoustic blues album "Slow Train" and the heavier "Rock and Roll Warriors".

"The Blues Keep Me Holding On" presents a solid display of blues-based music. Opening with the slide guitar sound of "Going Down to Mobile" and the driving beat of "She’s Leaving", Simmonds mixes a variety of blues-based styles throughout this disc. Both "Mississippi Steamboat" and the title track present a more optimistic sound, while "Headline News" finds Simmonds mirroring the Cream/Hendrix sound of the late sixties. Simmonds also covers Willie Dixon’s "Little Red Rooster", blending his own style with the familiar blues standard. My personal favorite is the slow, bluesy track "Bad Shape", which demonstrates some solid guitar playing by Simmonds. The disc closes with the uptempo swing sound of "Everybody Says They Want It". While most records usually conclude with a track that’s often sounds like the last to make the cut; this one left me wishing there were a few more like it to listen to.