Windy City Sounds : Check List ****<i> Great Balls of Fire</i> ***<i> Good Vibrations</i> **<i> Maybe Baby</i> *<i> Running on Empty </i>

***THE KINSEY REPORT. “Edge of the City.” Alligator. This Chicago-based quartet is a family affair--three Kinsey brothers joined by guitarist Ron Prince--and its accomplished debut album extends rather than echoes the Windy City’s rich blues tradition. Focal point Donald Kinsey is a serviceable singer and a fluid, inventive lead guitarist with a biting rock tone, but the Kinsey Report’s strong suit is its varied arrangements melding funk, soul and blues influences. The lyrics combine time-tested blues themes with more contemporary twists (“Answering Machine”) and the group is equally adroit at a brisk shuffle (“Lucky Charm”) or funky soul riffing (“Come To Me”). This strong effort should appeal to Robert Cray fans looking for modern blues with a more rough-and-tumble edge.