First, allow me to put forth the proposition that despite the name of Mayall's band, that John Mayall has never been exclusively a blues musician. Therefore, it stands to reason that Mayall's albums will not contain blues songs exclusively. That Mayall is a blues master, there is no doubt, but he is so much more than that.I am the owner of more than 40 Mayall recordings and buy each new CD before I hear a note. Rarely am I disappointed. The release of Stories is a testament to Mayall's prolific and enduring talent. Indeed, it is a colossal achievement.Recently I had Stories in continuous rotation with a few other blues CDs while on a long road trip. My love for the CD grew with each listen. It is true that there is little straight blues here, but there is a lot of hard driving rock and blues rock and even a couple of the "message" songs that Mayall is fond of writing. Every song is good, but the real treat comes on the final cut which showcases another Mayall blues masterpiece. That song, The Mists of Time, is one I could listen to repeatedly for hours on end.Other favorites are The Witching Hour, the magnificent Kokomo, and Demons In The Night.Every John Mayall album has been different than its predecessor, sometimes radically so, and Stories is no exception. So its a mistake for the listener to come to the table with a preconceived notion of what the CD should sound like. I think Stories is Mayall's finest effort since Chicago Line and it deserves to be listened to enough times so that the listener can truly judge it on its considerable merits alone rather than by all that Mayall has done before.