or the other way around.

to play the blues is to feel the pleasure to be in a groove with a band and improvise with other players. to sing the blues is to tell a story to someone, to express yourself using a standard or your own song. if alone it's something like talking to yourself and beeing in a strange, sometimes depressive mood.

to listen to the blues is to understand the singer and player, to love his personality, style, sound and words. if something is missing the record sucks and there's no need to keep in your collection. unfortunately, there are a lot of cheesy and soulless recordings even from the well-known artists. to find a new great blueman or record is a big pleasure and luck.