5 comments about Spotlight on Keely Smith (Great Ladies of Song).

1. Keely Smith is one of the "greats". This album has many wonderful songs and Keely does them all justice. Superb !!!!



2. I have played this CD until it's worn out. Her voice is beautiful and still is. I recommend this CD if your just starting out listening to her music. ENJOY!!!!



3. I remember a few singers from when I was a little girl, but did not remember Keely. I was discussing how much I liked other singers from my parent's day with a friend and my friend mentioned how she loved Louis Prima and Keely Smith. Coincidently I had just heard something about Ms. Smith on Public Radio. I looked her up on Amazon and noticed that Keely had a CD with one of my favorite songs on it, so I listened to the samples. To tell the truth if I couldn't listen to the samples, I would not have taken a chance, but I could hear her beautiful voice and that made me buy. Believe me, it was worth it. I don't think we have any singers today who sound as good as she does.



4. Spotlight On Keely Smith from the "Great Ladies Of Song" collection has a terrific display of hits by the incomparable Keely Smith. Keely sings very well and when you listen to her sing you have to wonder why she's not remembered as well as she should be. At any rate, this CD is a great addition to your collection and I highly recommend it. The quality of the sound is excellent.
   
   There are several highlights of this album. "You Go To My Head" features Keely singing sweetly; as she swings slowly and romantically she never misses a beat. Keely delivers this with such style that she truly puts her own stamp on this number with her fine interpretation. "Stardust" continues the same singularly beautiful style; and Keely's excellent diction bolsters her performance. The piano arrangement for "Stardust" impresses me very much as well. Moreover, listen for a stunning rendition of "Stormy Weather." The big band flavor with its brass works wonders and Keely delivers this to perfection.
   
   "It's Been A Long, Long Time" features Keely singing a more upbeat number and this number swings brightly with a big band feel that couldn't be better! "I'll Get By (As Long As I Have You)" features Keely singing a more pensive love ballad with a wonderful arrangement; I predict that you will enjoy "I'll Get By (As Long As I Have You)."
   
   "On The Sunny Side Of The Street" gets the royal treatment from Keely; she sings this ballad with such joy in her voice that you know she sings this one with all her heart and soul. The CD ends very strong with Keely performing "I Wish You Love." Awesome!
   
   Keely Smith is an undervalued songbird whose talents remain strong even today. I highly recommend this for Keely's fans (obviously); and people who enjoy female lounge singers will cherish this album for quite some while to come.



5. Although this collection has largely been eclipsed by the new "Essential" Capitol album, it does include a few jewels not on the recent release and is moreover a better example of the "undiluted" Keely--no duets with Prima or Sinatra, no Sam Butera and the Witnesses crowding out Nelson Riddle's sublime arrangements. One of the numbers on this collection and not on the new one is Jerome Kern's "Sweet and Lovely." Unlike Monk and other jazz musicians, I've never particularly cared for the tune--until hearing Keely do it. The woman is simply unreal. Where did she get a voice like that? What right does she have to sing that well? Other vocalists spend fortunes on vocal lessons to produce a few pleasant-sounding notes; Keely breathes in the smoke of the Sahara Lounge night after night, tries to sing over the din of a burlesque band (successfully), and keeps her cool while working with a headliner with the stage persona of a manic Neanderthal man--and she ends up with not only the voice but the technique of a singer without peer. Listen to the evenness of the vibrato, the contoured phrasing, the effortless tones supported by undetectable but firm and unfaltering breath support, the clear and pellucid soprano register that literally "floats" on a stream of uninterrupted melody, the varied articulations, enabling her to "bite" with the words when necessary even while maintaining that pure soprano. She's dead on pitch, she's consistent throughout the entire register (no falsetto "breaks"), she catches the dramatic expressiveness of a lyric's meanings, her diction doesn't risk the listener's missing a single word.
   
   So why do the names of Rosemary, Doris, Peggy, Dinah, Kay, Patti, Anita, June and all the rest get mentioned ahead of Keely in any discussion of female singers? Because she says "ma" instead of "my"? "Hort" instead of "heart"? Or because she's just too consistently perfect not to be taken for granted? Moreover, with practically any other female singer there's a 20-year window (max) during which they must be heard to be fully appreciated, after which the breath starts to fail, the voice starts to wobble, the strain becomes unmistakable. Ella, Sarah, Carmen--true of all of them, but not of Keely. Heck, you can recommend Keely Smith recordings from the present millenium, made 50 years after this Spotlight collection, and not go wrong. Perhaps, and this is a big perhaps, she was a bit too quick to separate her life from her art. If we felt we got to know a little more of the person behind that deadpan Buster Keaton face with the perfect angelic voice, we'd be less likely to overlook her undeniable supremacy.
   
   [As I write this, I see that the price of a new copy is under eight bucks. 20 tracks, and if you have Amazon Prime, it's even more of a screaming, irresistible bargain. If you choose not to pollute the environment with another jewel case and paper inserts, spend 20 bucks and download the tracks to your iPod. It's still a good deal--Nelson Riddle, Billy May and Keely. What more could you want?]

5 comments about Great Ladies of Jazz.

1. Great Ladies of Jazz is a very solid CD that features some really great songs performed by some of the very best female jazz singers ever. The quality of the sound is fantastic; and the artwork is very well done as well.
   
   "It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" is a live track of the great Ella Fitzgerald, the First Lady Of Song; and Ella swings this out like the pro she always was! The piano arrangement is stunning and Ella really throws herself into this number. If you listen it's immediately apparent that Ella enjoyed a great rapport with her audience, too--she usually did! Ella was the best of them! Ella returns for "Our Love Is Here To Stay;" I love that horn treatment and the overall musical arrangement works wonders for "Our Love Is Here To Stay." I love it! Ella's voice is in excellent form; it's rich, warm and extremely vibrant. Great!
   
   Listen also for the great Billie Holiday to perform a sublime rendition of "Come Rain Or Come Shine." Billie sounds more mature on this recording; but make no mistake about it--her voice is still in excellent form. Billie's uncanny sense of timing and her excellent diction bolster her ability to sing this ballad with panache, heart and all her soul. In addition, Billie's treatment of "God Bless The Child" strikes me as being especially pretty and moving; Billie Holiday was always one of my very favorite female vocalists and just one listen to this will tell you why! "Ain't Misbehavin'" by Dinah Washington features Dinah squarely front and center--and that's where she belongs! The big band arrangement enhances "Ain't Misbehavin';" this Fats Waller tune shines brightly when the great Dinah Washington delivers it flawlessly.
   
   Sarah Vaughan sings "'S Wonderful" with her usual style and grace; and the horn stands out in the music that accompanies her fine singing! "'S Wonderful" by Sarah Vaughan is easily a major highlight of this album. Listen for Sarah a second time around as she performs "Let's Call The Whole Thing Off" with yet another big band arrangement. Sarah's voice is clear as a bell and her voice is very rich and full.
   
   "Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?" gets a fine jazzy interpretation from Abbey Lincoln; Abbey's voice sounds better than ever and this Depression era ballad is greatly enhanced by Abbey's interpretation. The CD even ends strong with Shirley Horn delivering "I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good" flawlessly; the piano arrangement is very elegant as well.
   Shirley does this one up right!
   
   Fans of the great female vocalists on this album are bound to want this CD in their collections. This CD oozes good taste and class and it's bound to be available for sale for quite some while to come.



2. This is a great cd. I heard it inside a little music place one day and asked the old lady who was singing the song I was hearing. She got me out this cd and I got it for like 8 dollars. Every song on here is so great. I am only 21 and I love it. It makes me miss old good music like this. So unless you only like a certin kind of music I say get this it has amazing songs and is very relaxing. You may be able to find it at a lower price at your local record store so you may want to check there first.



3. This is the quintessential collection of the best female voices in jazz. This collection has the songs that made these women famous and/or the songs for which they are most remembered. Every song on the cd is a gem!!! The highlights are Ella's live recording of "It Don't Mean a Thing(If It Ain't Got That Swing)" and Nina Simone's "I Loves You, Porgy." All twelve songs run the gamut of emotions from true bliss to deepest sorrow. These women knew how to sing and these selections are some of the greatest in the american songbook. I highly recommend this cd.



4. There is nothing smoother than the voices of these great ladies. Put it in the car and you won't stress about rush hour any more.



5. I bought this CD a few years ago on a whim, never having listened to jazz before. I fell in love with Ella Fitzgerald's voice, she's outstanding. This CD features some great female voices, incredible musicianship and for price, you cannot go wrong!

1 comments about Reach Out of the Darkness.

1. I was having a pretty hard time looking for several of the songs on this CD. I tried several music services and finally found it at Amazon. The CD is very good quality and plays perfect. There are only three songs on it that I care for but that is typical of CD's and me. If you are looking for the song "Reach out of the Darkness" this is the CD for you. This was the only place I could find that song.

5 comments about Ballad of the Blues.

1. The liner notes to this CD seem to promise "early stereo recording techniques." Naturally, since I love Jo Stafford (in all of her manifestations), I was intrigued. Now I read that this lovely and yet mono remastering of this music for CD might have been a mistake, or, the compilers and producers just liked the mono better. Then it occurred to me that several of the young Dusty Springfield's albums had been mastered in true stereo, yet never released that way, only in mono and "simulated" stereo.
   
   The topper comes with the reviewer who remembers his LP as being in glorious, true stereo. He did not mention that, hey, the INTERVIEW section is in stereo! Oh, well...
   
   My disappointment faded quickly, though, within three bars of the first song. I was hooked. Some of these oldies are far from moldy, and the ones gathering the first tell-tale fuzz, such as "John Henry" and "Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child" are steered completely away from being presented as museum quality relics. "Street Cries" could have come out of OLIVER! or PORGY & BESS, and the "echo chamber" is used to haunting effect. Where Jo really shines, though, is on the ballads and swingin' jazz numbers. Her "Kansas City" strikes just the right emotional note, as does her rendition of W. C. Handy's "Memphis Blues," both of which are magnificent (due in no small part to the cookin' band, featuring The Starlighters vocal group and her now-late husband, Paul Weston, and his orchestra). My highest praise goes to Jo's superb rendition of "Blues In The Night." This rivals a version I also like by Peggy Lee, and it's the high point of BALLAD OF THE BLUES.
   
   The bonus tracks make up a 32 1/2 minute long interview with Jo Stafford by Michael Feinstein, and this "conversation" is a real treat. They even talk about Jonathan & Darlene, and there's a brief reference to Jo's other alter ego, Cinderella G. Stump, although neither Jo or Michael mentions her by name.
   
   I highly recommend this CD to anyone who loves the standards, traditional blues and folk, and of course Jo Stafford herself. This album is among her finest moments (when not possessed by the spirit of Mrs. Jonathan Edwards).



2. I was thrilled to find this music available. I had listened to this on records as a young child, and I always hoped I would find it in my dad's keepsakes, but I never did. This is a great service to those of us who remember this music. I have thoroughly enjoyed having this music again. Thank You so much!!



3. I received my copy of this CD today, and although I cannot take issue with the music itself, I was disappointed that the CD was entirely in mono. My time-worn vinyl copy of this LP (one of my all-time favorites) has the most glorious stereo sound, and I can't believe they reissued this on CD in mono. Quite a disappointment. I've contacted the record company; perhaps I got a bad pressing?



4. Close your eyes and you can feel the haunting beauty of this music.. This is old, old music from the slaves to the roaring twenties and then the depression. It's all the blues from long ago. Jo Stafford and Paul Weston have undoubtedly created the definitive versions of these songs... Everything here is timeless. A true concept album masterpiece, from the lush orchestrations to the sensitive and dreamy vocals by Jo. Best songs, if I was forced to choose, are also the most unusual for a pop singer. Nobody Knows the Trouble I've seen is moving and sad.. You can almost imagine the slaves picking cotton in the fields, sadly. Sometimes I feel Like a Motherless Child is perfect and wistful. He's Gone Away makes one think of the civil war and all the lovers forced to part forever. Memphis Blues simply swings! And Blues in the Night sizzles almost as much as Julie London's version...only Jo Stafford provides the always superior vocal.

   If you like this haunting style of beautiful, orchestrated blues, I also recommend Julie London's "About the Blues", although Jo Stafford's is of course superior in every way. She is, of course, the greatest singer of the 20th century. I'm 19 and all of my friends that I've played this for agree - Jo is the best. My only wish is that her "Songs of Scotland" album would be released on CD soon or that I could meet Jo Stafford. We even almost have the same birthday...she's Nov. 12 and I'm Nov. 11. I just thought that was interesting. :)




5. I don't believe that it would be possible to over-state the quality of this music. I had hoped, for some time, to see the release of this 1959 album in this format; now that I've had an opportunity to enjoy this collection of thematically unified tunes in its entirety, I can say without hesitation that it's the finest concept album I've ever heard. The Blues, as an American art form, is explored - from its origins to the directions it took with the growth of our country ("times change and things change") - by the singer who has, in my opinion, done more than any other, through her artistry and versatility, to make us aware of this land's musical riches. Jo Stafford, with her inimitable tone and always musicianly approach to singing, proves herself capable of belting (and crooning) The Blues with the same conviction that characterizes her work in other musical styles such as Broadway, Jazz, Folk, and mid-century Pop. The fact that, as the liner notes state, this album is neither a history of The Blues nor a collection of Blues songs in the strictest sense of the form, I feel, makes it more satisfying than if it had been either or both. I regard these tracks, collectively, as an examination of the situations and experiences that inspire this very personal art form. The brilliant arranger/composer Paul Weston (Jo's late husband) and lyricists Alan and Marilyn Bergman wrote original music that serves as a kind of narrative and allows each Blues theme to move seamlessly into the next, from the work song, through the spiritual, to the more contemporary material dealing with the timeless topics of infidelity and longing. The musical accompaniment is varied and appropriate to each piece, The Starlighters provide excellent vocal support, and Jo Stafford, The World's Greatest Singer, is at her most affecting. Listen to "Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child", "Kansas City Blues", "He's Gone Away", "Every Night When The Sun Goes In", "Lover Man" and "Blues In The Night" - you'll see what I mean. If you have the LP, you already know what I mean, but get the CD anyway!

2 comments about Crucial Acoustic Blues.

1. This album is well worth a listen. Good choice of songs and well performed by the accoustic artists. It is getting played constnatly at true blues gatherings.



2. I love the Alligator label and their compilation albums are always a treat! Kudo's to Bruce Iglauer his taste is excellent!

3 comments about Hoodoo Lady.

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 Clinch Mountain Sweethearts.

1. I have had in my collection for decades the numerous albums the Stanley Brothers cut for Starday, King and Gusto in the fifties and sixties. However, I'll admit it wasn't until Ralph Stanley's resurrection in popularity with the whole "O Brother" phenomenon that I began noticing his more recent labums.

   The premise to this 2001 Rebel release was simple: Find some of the best female vocalists in the business and revisit some of the old Stanley Brothers classics. I was skeptical at first, but after the first notes of "Ridin' That Midnight Train" with Iris DeMent, any misgivings I had disappeared.

   Although no less moving, Stanley performs "Oh, Death" with Gillian Welch--not a capella, but with the backing of the Clinch Mountain Boys. Other highlights are Dolly Parton's version of "Loving You Too Well," Sara Evans' "Are You Tired of Me, Darling," Lucinda Williams' "Farther Along" and Valerie Smith's "I'll Remember You in My Prayers." Truth to tell, these are are all lovingly performed songs.

   As the reigning patriarch of bluegrass, it's encouraging to see Ralph Stanley (who was 73 when these recordings were made) not only receive the recognition he deserves but for helping pass the torch so bluegrass will continue to thrive into the 21st Century. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED




2. This is the third album of Ralph Stanley's with guests (or is it the fourth? - I think Saturday Night Sunday Morning was recorded as two separate albums) - and came about because the ladies were seriously under-represented on the earlier projects, yet clearly indicated a desire to record with Ralph. The success of John Prine's In spite of ourselves (featuring another stellar cast of ladies, also including Iris, Melba and Lucinda) would have dispelled any doubts about the viability of such a project.

   Though under-represented, some notable ladies did appear on the previous albmus (Clinch Mountain Country and Saturday Night Sunday Morning), including Connie Smith (who also appeared on that John Prine album), Alison Krauss, Emmylou Harris. Patty Loveless, Rhonda Vincent and Laurie Lewis, so they leave the stage to others this time.

   All the songs are beautifully sung and well chosen. On albums like these, your favorites tend to depend on which guests you like best, but there are so many here that I love, although Dolly is my favorite singer.

   Valerie Smith recorded a stunning debut album (Patchwork Heart), listed as Limited Availabilty by Amazon.com - a definite contender for my favorite bluegrass album. I haven't heard her second, Turtle wings.

   It's great to see Jeannie Seely back in the recording studio, singing a lovely version of I'm ready to go.

   Kristi Stanley (Ralph's daughter-in law) makes her recording debut here, and acquits herself well. It remains to be seen whether she records anything of her own.

   Patty Mitchell, who also puts in a great performance, was once a member of the Dixie Chicks. Their music pre-Natalie was very different, much more solidly traditional (way off the mainstream - I could never imagine a major label wanting them), as evidenced on their Little ol' cowgirl album, one of three unavailable early albums, not listed by Amazon.com.

   Then there's Pam, Maria, Sara, Gail, Joan, Gillian and the five in my headline .... each and every one of them makes a magnificent contribution. For Iris fans, there's a real treat - she gets to do two songs.

   So there you have it - a great bluegrass album of love songs, featuring fifteen magnificent ladies, some world-famous like Dolly and Joan, some complete unknowns like Patty and Kristi and the rest somewhere in between, yet all putting in strong enough performances such that nobody really stands out from the rest - and that makes for a great album.




3. How can any album go wrong with Ralph Stanley at the helm! These albums that have been created with Stanley and friends will go through many generations of music listeners as the best that bluegrass has to offer....I love ya Ralph....



4. Having made the pilgrimage to Ralph's mountaintop Memorial Day festival last year I can tell you that even the best recording can't do justice to Ralph and his band live. That said, this album rocks! Ralph and his producers have done a fine job pairing him with some phenomenal singers. His band sounds like they were born to play together. These guys are special! "Lil Willie" gets my vote as the best track among several stellar cuts. That fiddle tears me up every time I hear it.

   My heartfelt wish is that this wonderful music continues to find its way into popular culture. We need Ralph unplugged on MTV! If it worked for Tony Bennett it can work for Ralph (although Ralph would be a considerably more challenging cross-over project!). If this NYC-raised Van Halen - George Clinton lover can "get it", anyone can!!




5. Making a distinction between this recording and "pure" bluegrass seems beside the point to me. Ralph Stanley has simply assembled some of the very best female country/bluegrass vocalists around, matched them up with great tunes and produced a CD that spends A LOT of time on my stereo system. Iris DeMent and Ralph are terrific, so much so that I hope they record again together real soon. But then I would buy a CD by Iris DeMent and virtually anyone. Don't pass this album up, no matter what sort of music you prefer.

2 comments about The Original Guitar Wizard.

1. This is the perfect box set. The liner notes are great, the packaging is fine, and the music contained on these discs is simply stunning. Lonnie's work with Texas Alexander doesn't sound like anything else committed to record. "Section Gang Blues" and "Levee Camp Moan" are startling in their intensity. His guitar duets with Eddie Lang will never lose their novelty, because they are music on the level of the Classical music of Europe. "Away Down in The Alley Blues" and "Hot Fingers" are mind-boggling. Lonnie's Blues lyrics are original and greatly detailed. He is the master of romantic balladry. He is a pioneer in Rhythm & Blues. He knows how to use double-entendre, and he certainly seems to have a true distrust of women!



2. B.B King, Albert King, Clapton, Vaughn, Green and Taylor were all guitar playing heroes of our youth. Naturally, they were really great pickers, no doubt about that! But the way I see it, this man, Lonnie Johnson, was the first and the greatest guitar hero ever! For five decades he entertained and pleased people with his mellow, emotionally charged voice and his unrivalled guitar playing. From country blues to jazz - he was equally at ease with a vast variety of music. His playing was always technically impressive (sometimes nearly insurmountable), touchingly melodic and with an inexhaustible well of ideas. Some of his solo instrumentals are not really possible to redo, and his duos with Eddie Lang surely belong to the highest class of American music. If I were to take only one single item with me to a deserted island (hopefully the area would have electricity), this CD box would be the one!

2 comments about Roy Milton & His Solid Senders.

1. What a great CD ! As A life-long fan of rock n' roll and rhythm and blues, I am ashamed that I was not familiar with this gentleman's music. I was tipped off in the liner notes of a CD by another talented guy, Mitch Woods. When Mitch mentioned Roy Milton as an influence, I had to check him out--so thank you Mitch, wherever you are !
   This generously-filled disc doesn't have even one weak track. As others have noted, if you like Louis Jordan, Joe Turner, Wynonie Harris and others who form the "glue" between jazz, blues and rock n' roll, your collection is not complete without Roy Milton.
   Highly recommended !



2. The Ace Roy Milton volumes are brilliant collections of his best material. Roy Milton was along with Louis Jordan and Big Joe Turner, one of the most important and hitmaking R&B band leaders. His band was always tight and swinging, and Roy's songs were the most popular jump blues of the day. This collection has the hits and have many of his greatest songs. You won't find a more beautiful blues song than 'Night and Day' or a more swinging than 'R.M.Blues' and 'Bartender's boogie'. A higly recommended buy, as are the other two volumes in the series. I love this one.

5 comments about Complete Recorded Works (1928-1929).

1. I BOUGHT THIS FOR MY BROTHER WHO IS A BLUES FAN AND HE REQUESTED THIS ONE AND MANY MORE AND SOOO ENJOYS THE OLE' BLUES...A SOFT BUT GREAT SOUND



2. Tommy Johnson was a fine blues artist from long ago. The cuts on this CD were recorded in 1928 and 1929. While the recordings give us a sense of his artistry, to be honest, I had a hard time making out the words. Still, a very nice work, showing us the skills of an early major talent. The liner notes say that after Charlie Patton and Robert Johnson are taken into account, so, too, should be Johnson. Of him, the notes say: "But there is no doubt that the music of Tommy Johnson epitomised the Mississippi blues at its most expressive and poetic."
   
   A few cuts, to illustrate:
   
   "Cool drink of water blues": Charlie McCoy is on a second guitar. This is nicely sung; Johnson shows off an attractive blues voice. This is, of course, acoustic. The guitar work by Johnson and McCoy is simple but effective.
   
   "Big Road Blues": This is characterized by a lively tempo. Effective guitar work (again, both Johnson and McCoy are playing). Again, Johnson shows us a very nice blues voice.
   
   "Canned Heat Blues": Wish I could have made better sense of the words. This song is poignant, in that he had a serious problem with alcohol--and that's what the song is about. This song features Tommy Johnson and his guitar--no one else. It's poignantly sung. Some nice falsetto singing.
   
   All in all, a nice introduction to the work of an early blues artist.



3. Tommy Johnson was one of the most unique and influential delta blues men in the history of American music. He has inspired such artists as Howlin' Wolf, Houston Stackhouse, and Robert Nighthawk.
   The Complete recorded works of Tommy Johnson is essential to all lovers of blues and American roots music.
   Sadly Johnson only recorded 17 classic sided and they are all present on this collection. The sound qualitiy is also superior to previous releases of these tracks. If you only have a few Tommy Johnson tracks on various compilations, it is worth the price to have them all in chronological order as they are presented on this disc. You get to hear what a dynamic artist Johnson was and how he took the influence of Delta greats Charlie Patton and Ishmon Bracey, and even the falseto vocal stlylings of Jimmy Rodgers, and turned them into something totally unique and timeless.
   A must have.
   -Devon Wendell



4. I have been a blues fan for forty years, and have listened to just about everybody, from Ma Rainey to Susan Tedeschi, with Muddy Waters and Lightning Hopkins on the way. Nobody is better than Tommy Johnson. Nobody at all. Johnson's great reputation is based on a pitifully small collection of recordings, over half of which were put out on the dreaded Paramount label (Paramount is the despair of blues fans -- on the plus side, without the label we might never have had recordings from Charley Patton, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Blind Blake, early Skip James and early Son House, to name only a few: on the other hand, we are constantly tantalized and frustrated by what we might have had if the company's recording standards had been of even average quality for the time {i.e., late 1920s-mid 1930s} instead of awful beyond description). In any case, the eight Victor sides Tommy Johnson made in 1928, and in particular Big Road Blues, Maggie Campbell Blues, Cool Drink of Water Blues and Canned Heat Blues are at the absolute acme of blues recordings. In terms of emotional power, intensity and sheer brilliance, I have never heard anybody in the blues genre I have thought to be Johnson's equal. I believe that you have to go to some of the great American jazz masters such as Louis Armstrong or Charlie Parker to find adequate comparisons.
   
   This Document Records compilation is an absolute necessity for any serious collector of the blues, and particularly of early blues. There were many great bluesmen named Johnson: Robert, Blind Willie and Lonnie to name the best known. However, if you can only take one "Johnson" record down that Big Road, Tommy's is the one to take.



5. Before Robert Johnson came along, and long before Son House started spreading the rumour that he (Johnson) had sold his soul to the devil in exchange for his abilities on the guitar, a man fifteen years Robert Johnson's senior ever so often implied that his immense talent came as the result of a midnight deal with Old Scracth.

   Thomas Johnson was born in 1896 down in the Mississippi Delta, and though his name is not as well known as those of Charlie Patton, Son House, and Robert Johnson (no relation), he was one of the most important prewar bluesmen, and certainly one of the most talented.
   He was also an uncontrolled alcoholic, and the fact that he lived to see sixty is something of a miracle. His "Canned Heat Blues" is certainly autobiographical, and his contemporaries have told about Johnson straining shoe polish through a slice of white bread in order to extract the alcohol.

   But his music is something to behold. Johnson sounds totally immersed in it, his voice possessing an eerie quality enhanched by his occational falsetto moans, and this disc includes the original versions of "Maggie Campbell Blues", "Big Road Blues", and "Cool Drink Of Water Blues" (later recorded by Howlin' Wolf as "I Asked For Water (she gave me gasoline)").

   Johnson plays alone on a few songs, but on most of these seventeen sides (which comprise his entire recorded legacy) he is backed by one or more additional musicians, most often a second guitarist. The first eight sides, Tommy Johnson's Victor sides from 1928, boast amazing sound quality...much (much!) better than Charlie Patton's or Son House's contemporary recordings, they're clean and crisp with just a little static, and every phrase and every instrument is clearly heard. Johnson was a talented and quite original guitar player, and it is a delight to be able to hear him so well.

   The Paramount sides, on the other hand, are...well, Paramount sides. Much inferior in sound quality to the Victor sides, they are nevertheless well worth a listen, particularly "Alcohol And Jake Blues" and the battered "Lonesome House Blues".
   On the best of these songs, Johnson's voice is positively frightening, and his "Cool Drink Of Water" is the sound of pure despair. This is some of the starkest, most powerful music you'll ever hear.