4 comments about How Blue Can You Get.

1. This woman has LIVED and you can hear every moment of it in her beautiful, soulful, blues-filled voice. From being the opening act for Little Richard in her youth to her triumphant starring turns on Broadway, Ms. Hopkins is one of the best known yet oddly obscure STARS ever to brighten our lives. I saw her in concert only once and the experience will live in my heart forever. She was appearing in a trés trendy hotel nightclub in Atlanta, Georgia, back in the early 80s. Taking the stage in a show-stopping gown but also barefoot, she belted out standard after beloved standard, including a raucous version of "Give Me a Pigfoot and a Bottle of Beer." Shoring up my courage, my "partner" and I approached Ms. Hopkins after the show and invited her to dinner. She accepted! We had a great evening and I felt SO honored. While I was a fan before that show, I became a LIFELONG diehard fan following our prolonged and personal meeting, as she explained her approach to singing and music. If you have never heard her sing, THIS IS YOUR STERLING OPPORTUNITY! Order this album and you will thank me for YEARS of happy listening.



2. I have followed Linda Hopkins in Southern California for many years. Her one woman show of 'Bessie and me" at the Mark Taper Foum in Los Angeles and her Long Play Album from the show is a show stopper. I love the way she sings the blues and the gospel. I am fortunate to live in Southen California where she lives to be able to attend her concerts, both secular and relegious in clubs and churchs. She has a voice that can deliver the message, whether blues, or gospel. Linda sings from her heart. Obiously, she has known pain and the joy of knowing the Lord.



3. Without question, Linda Hopkins is one of most extaordinary blues/jazz/gospal singers on the planet - we need more of her stuff out there. I know she has more recordings then just this one (which I have and loving it). Such a talent should be heard not hidden.



4. She has a powerful voice and have loved her singing for many many years

No comments about Jammin' Blues.

No comments about Different Point of Blue.

2 comments about The Count Basie Story.

1. This economical box set of the great Count Basie is a real treasure.
   Basie led one of the best swing bands of the era, right up there with Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman.
   The songs included in this set cover a wide range of Basie's body of work.
   The sound quality is mostly excellent, although 1 or 2 of the very early tunes have a bit of light scratchiness to them.
   Also included is an informative liner notes booklet.
   As with every Proper box set I've bought, this set offers excellent music and a great value.



2. This is the most economical and best multi-disc set there is on Basie. It's an awesome collection of the preeminent Basie band of the 30's, extending to later work from the 60's, enhanced by kickin' arrangements by Neal Hefti. Hefti is better known for working with Sinatra in the 50's, but I feel his work with Basie is more innovative and vibrant than his collaboration with Frank.

   Another plus is the sound quality on these discs, which greatly surpases anything Basie recorded in the Depression. You can really hear the brass section, especially when you pump up the volume, and how can you not do that considering this is the inimitable Basie? The trumpet solos really soar and Basie's distinctive one-fingered approach to the piano is highlighted by the mixing here.

   My two favorite tracks have got to be the fantastic Swinging the Blues, closely followed by Jumpin' at the Woodside, in a kickin' arrangement. Again, the arrangements on these tracks is first rate and the sound quality is awesome.

   I prefer the Basie band in a live setting, when they would always pull out the stops and just swing it to the ceiling. Check out Basie at the Sands for an example of his band in a live forum. Otherwise, this collection is stellar all the way, especially in the price department!

3 comments about Hoodoo Lady (1933-1937).

1. One of the interesting facts about the development of the blues is that in the early days the recorded music and the bulk of the live performances were done by women, at least they were the most popular exponents of the genre. That time, the early 1920's to the 1930's was the classic age of women blues performers. Of course, when one thinks about that period the name that comes up is the legendary Bessie Smith. Beyond that, maybe some know Ethel Waters. And beyond that-a blank.
   
   Yet the blues singer under review, Memphis Minnie, probably had as a productive career as either of the above-mentioned names. And here is the kicker. If you were to ask today's leading women blues singers like Bonnie Raitt or Maria Muldaur about influences they will, naturally, give the obligatory Bessie response, but perhaps more surprisingly will also praise Ms. Minnie to the skies.
   
   This compilation, while not technically the best, will explain the why of the above paragraph. Minnie worked with many back up players over the years, some good some bad, but her style and her energy carried most of the production. She was the mistress of the double entendre so popular in old time blues- you know phrases like `put a little sugar in my bowl'. The best of the bunch here are the title song Hoodoo Lady, Ice Man and Butcher Man but the real deal here is that this is an album you acquire a taste for-and then do not want to turn the damn thing off. That, for me, is high praise indeed.



2. Memphis Minnie (1897 -1973) was one of the greatest of the women blues singers and, indeed, in a male-dominated field one of the greatest of all blues singers. She possessed musical talent, learning the guitar as a child and continuing to record and perform until ill health forced her retirement in 1959. She wrote much of her own material and performed with great skill on the guitar. Minnie recorded hundreds of sides over a thirty year career. He work still brings pleasure to lovers of the blues.
   
   Memphis Minnie's earliest sides were recorded with her husband, Kansas Joe, in Memphis. These sides are accessible on CD, but the songs on the disc under review here date from the mid-30s when Minnie had left Joe and moved to Chicago. This recording is on a large commercial label as part of its "roots and blues" series; and it is an ideal introduction to Memphis Minnie.
   
   The CD consists of 20 songs recorded between 1933 and 1938. Many of the sides remained unreleased and in the vaults of the recording company at the time. Minnie sings with a brassy voice, full of assurance, accompanies herself on the guitar, and performs with a variety of other musicians. I was particularly impressed with the honky-tonk piano featured on songs such as "Down in the Alley' "I hate to see the sun go down" (a variant of "St. Louis Blues") and "Please don't stop him". The clarinet is used with great effects on "Please don't stop him" and "I'm going don't you know". Other tracks feature the mandolin and the use of rhythm blocks. In some of the songs, Minnie uses a highly expressive falsetto ( including "good biscuits", "if you see my rooster" "has anyone seen my man","caught me wrong blues".
   
   Many of the songs are full of sexual double-entendre,particularly those with food or animals as the ostensible theme. In other, more poignant, songs Minnie bemoans the lot of women after abandonment by a cheating man (such as "My baby don't want me no more" and "my strange man". Other songs such as the title of the album "Hoodo Lady" play upon superstitous beliefs (voodo) that remained common at the time in both rural and urban areas. As with the best blues, the songs here are an admixture of rawness, humor, natural musicianship, and sadness.
   
   This is an important CD for those with even a casual interest in the blues. Minnie's roots music, as with the best of the blues, is lively, creative and worth hearing. It documents an important, sometimes neglected, part of the American experience. Paul Garon, author of a biography of Memphis Minnie, "Woman with Guitar" wrote the thorough liner notes for this CD.
   
   Robin Friedman



3. This is an absolute must have for any serious blues collector and any fan of music. I have approximately 100 blues CDs, many from this era and this is easily one of the best 5. Anyone looking to begin a blues collection would be well advised to purchase these great early Memphis Minnie recordings. Her guitar playing may well surpass even the great Tampa Red and her vocals have a more startling and rhythmic quality than female contemporary Bessie Smith.

5 comments about Wanted Man.

1. I hope that Paul's CDs will start to shake up the US market.... His music is so unpredictable and so interesting. He gives us such wonderful rhythm and blues....I cannot imagine a world without his music. I would call him the "Bob Dylan" of Australia because his voice does resemble Bob on many ballads and he is also an incredible storyteller. Maybe there is a little Harry Chapin in there too. Every song on every CD he has given us has redeeming qualities...he is always allowing us something to think about and doing it with such wit and tenderness. The instrumentals are terrific and grab you away from whatever you happen to be doing at that moment...sitting still and listening is out of the question. The tunes hit the soul too hard to be ignored... If you haven't heard of this Australian delight, it's time to drink from Downunder. You'll never regret this Cd......Thanks, Paul...don't ever stop.....



2. A year ago I would have given this 4 stars, but this disc by the Aussie artist just seemed to get better with age. I realized how good this really is with time. Paul Kelly is one of the best artist out there, yet he remains criminally underappreciated when it comes to American exposure. This disc has it all; smart pop/ rock, great melodies,great lyrics, blues, and some downright rockin foot stompin' rock & roll. A top notch effort.



3. After the sprawling tapestry that was 1991's Comedy (in ambition at least, a sequel to 1986's breakthrough album Gossip) Kelly has jettisoned his band The Messengers for this album. And the freedom shows, as musically the album careers through a diverse range of styles. This is clearly the start of a new stage in Kelly's career and the album is full of energy, vigour and fun. Thematically it is concerned with love, in all its many forms. Overall it is more uplifting than some of his other work, for it largely lacks the politics and failed relationships that so often form the subject of his songs, and the music grooves with an understated but insistent soul/funk (a clear departure from the standard pub rock guise of The Messengers).
   
   After the albums gentle and slightly insubstantial opener, we are briefly held up by a half-backed collaboration with Nick Cave (God's Hotel) before things really get moving with a great double in She's Rare and Just Like Animals. These songs deal with the animalistic side of love, and both the lyrics and the music create a real sense of raw desire.
   
   Next up we have the two singles, and indeed two of the best pop melodies you are ever likely to hear. Love Never Runs On Time is a brief, brilliant piece of bad timing. Song From The Sixteenth Floor is in Kelly's top ten best ever compositions, and possibly in pop's best ever as well! It really is wonderful, with its infectious tune, perfectly executed musicianship, and wonderful lyrical juxtapositions. Perhaps not as profound or powerful as Kelly can be, this is nevertheless close to perfection.
   
   The latter half of the album is reserved for showing off the versatility of the musicians involved. We are taken on an exquisitely enjoyable journey through country inflections, good old-fashioned bluesy rock, reggae, and the slow jazz shuffle of Lately. And amongst all this we get the wonderful musings on fame that is Everybody Wants to Touch Me. Irresistible!
   
   The album finishes as it started, with a track of subtle and beguiling beauty. Nukkanya is one of those understated songs that contain moments of real brilliance that go unnoticed until the third or fourth listen. The verses in particular are beautifully composed, full of sad beauty and wisdom (and the music is also suitably pulled back, indeed almost sparse at times). Perhaps the only criticism of this track is that you wish it were longer; but then, what a way for an album to finish - bring on the next one!
   
   Overall this is not one of Paul Kelly's most thought provoking albums, but it is certainly one of his most enjoyable. And the quality of both lyric and music is exemplary. Certainly it is more consistent than most of his earlier albums with the Messengers (which generally contained one or two really forgettable tracks). I highly recommended this album.



4. The first reviewer has it right: with this, or any Paul Kelly album, you must listen to it three times. On the first you will not be too impressed. On the second you will hear something clever. By the end of the third you will forever be haunted by the songs.
   "Summer Rain," "Just Like Animals" "Love Never Runs on Time" and "Lately" are typical PK love songs: pleasant, intelligent, and with just a little bit of a twist to keep it interesting. "You're Still Picking the Same Sore" is yet another PK classic regarding the disintegration of a relationship (a topic that is PK's forte -other examples from other albums include "Same Old Walk" "I Can't Believe We Were Married" "Winter Coat" "Stories of Me" and "Taught By Experts").

   Overall, this is a great album to get to know PK by, although some of the imports are actually stronger (in particular, "Comedy," recorded with the Messengers).




5. I recently mentioned to a friend from New Zealand that I considered Paul Kelly to be "the Australian John Hiatt". His reply was that I had it wrong: "John Hiatt is the American Paul Kelly". Kelly is a tremendously gifted songwriter who shares with Hiatt and Bruce Springsteen a rare talent: the ability to write lyrics that speak eloquently to the concerns of his audience as they grow from young adulthood to middle age. Kelly addresses some commonplace concerns (falling in love, having children, plain old lust) with uncommon maturity. His singing voice and arrangements are always appealing, and he has amassed a sizably body of high-quality work. "Wanted Man" is one of his best albums, with standout tracks like "Song From The Sixteenth Floor", "She's Rare", "Just Like Animals", and "Nukkanya". If you are already a fan, you should definitely add this title to your collection. If you are not yet a Paul Kelly fan, this album would be a good place to start. You're in for a treat.

2 comments about Memory Lane: The Best Songs Little Esther Ever....

1. Now, THIS is the way I remember "Little Esther". This a REALLY FUN CD; I listened to it over and over, just like being a little kid again with a new album you want to really burn into your brain. BUY IT NOW.



2. I have the original vinyl album of Memory Lane and was told by several vinyl records collector/dealers in 1996 that it was one of the 75 if not not the 50 rarest records in the world and worth several thousand dollars. Naturally they wanted to buy it but I kept it until I could get it digitally recorded on cd. Finding this cd was a fluke. Even though this cd was not digitally remastered it still it still sounds pretty darn good. It's sounds like you're listening to an old favorite vinyl album. If you like Little Ester Phillips and you're not fortunate enough to own the vinyl album, this cd is a pretty good copy. I'll keep my vinyl album till I can get it digitally remastered or a digitally remastered cd becomes available but I'll be playing this cd. I rated it a 4 insted of a 5 only because it wasn't digitally remastered, and that does effect the quality of the sound
   slightly.So it's a 5 Thumbs Up for the music and a 4 Thumbs up for the quality of the sound=4. So, if you love Little Ester Phillips this cd is well worth buying.

1 comments about Truckload of Lovin'.

1. First things first. This cd is NOT the best of Albert King. It's a compilation of tracks culled from a series of mediocre albums he recorded in the mid to late 70's (including the truly awful "New Orleans Heat"), and contains no songs from his classic Stax recordings. If you want the "classic" Albert King get "King of the Blues Guitar" or any of the earlier live albums.

1 comments about Midnight Believer.

1. B.B. King's 1978 album "Midnight Believer" found him working with Joe Sample, Wilton Felder, & Stix Hooper of the Crusaders--in addition to playing on the album, Stewart Levine and they produced the album as well. All of the songwriting was handled by Will Jennings & Sample except for "Never Make A Moon To Soon" which was by Hooper & Jennings. Jennings was a regular songwriting collaborated with the Crusaders, & Levine had been the producer of previous Crusaders material. B.B. said is was really the record company's idea to have B.B. & the Crusaders work together--they were both on ABC Records. All that said, some fans might find this to be more of a Crusaders album than a B.B. King album, but the thing is, even if the pairing was the record company's idea, it was a damn good idea nonetheless. The album offers irresistibly catchy & funky mid-tempo songs like the title track, "A World Full of Strangers", & the sly, infectiously fun "Never Make A Moon Too Soon". "I Just Can't Your Love Alone" is a tad overproduced, & has an excessive, overlong fade, but it's still really catchy. There's also a strong, moody ballad with "Hold On (I Feel Our Love Is Changing)", & a nice (though somewhat slight) feel-good tune with "When It All Comes Down (I'll Still Be Around)". The slow "Let Me Make You Cry A Little Longer" is frustratingly sappy, lacking in catchiness, & runs over 5 & ½ minutes, making it an exhausting album closer, but it's the only dud on the album. "Midnight Believer" had been out of print seemingly everywhere in the world & was quite tough to obtain on CD, but thankfully, BGO Records in 2003 released a twofer in the UK which combines this album along with his subsequent album, 1979's "Take It Home", on 1 CD with excellent sound quality. "Take It Home" was basically another Crusaders collaboration, & it has some great stuff in its own right, making the twofer a great buy.

No comments about Sad & Lonesome.