Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Collections    3. Classic Female Blues    4. Pop    5. V/A Compilations   

Reviews (2)

Sophie is wonderful!
There will never be another Sophie Tucker but there IS a great entertainer named SHARON McNIGHT who does a one woman show in which she practically CHANNELS Sophie to us, the audience.
A real entertainer
Who remembers Sophie Tucker anymore?
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Subjects:  1. American Popular Song    2. Cabaret    3. Classic Female Blues    4. Jazz Vocals    5. Nostalgia    6. Pop    7. Pop Vocals    8. Show Tunes    9. Tin Pan Alley Pop    10. Torch Songs    11. United States of America    12. Vaudeville   

Reviews (19)

Jazz-funk-country blues captures calm of night in a swamp.
Applies her now distinctive fusion-Delta steel, jazz, deep funkiness, and the voice-to a wide range of songs, making them all her own.Many reveal the originals only with close attention.Most coherent collection of her settings that I can recall-all as quiet but insistent and vital as the sound of your blood passing in your veins.The jazz-funk-country blues captures the calm of night in a swamp, but also the vague foreboding of a primordial presence there.Lyrics of tr 1 by Sting capture the mood of the cd as a whole:"Like rain from the stars, how fragile we are."That said, I repeatedly hear her voice as another instrument in the mix before I hear any words.[53:29]

Put your iPod away with this one!
I have asked, as I'm sure many others, that amazon just tell us in the product write-up if a CD is "copy protected" - i.e. cannot be added to a legitimate digital music collection. In the case of this CD I was deeply dissapointed to not be able to play it anywhere I use my iPod. As for Cassandra, yes characterful and typical - maybe a bit predictable and "cookie cutter" by now? I don't know - but she has sooo many similar sounding albums out now that I'm wondering if there's a big machine where you feed in tunes & it then "Cassandrafies" it automatically....

The preeminent living interpreter of American popular song
A jazz singer with the heart of a folk singer and the soul of a blues singer, Wilson also has exceptional taste in song, along with original arranging skills.Wilson also seemingly has no musical prejudices. She is equally at home interpreting the music of the Beatle-mimic Monkees ("Last Train to Clarksville", New Moon Daughter) as that of blues pioneer Robert Johnson ("Come on in My Kitchen," Blue Light `Til Dawn).Likewise, she is equally comfortable recording a song by country icon Willie Nelson ("Crazy," Glamoured) as one by outspoken jazz purist Abby Lincoln ("Throw it Away," Glamoured).And she is as comfortable with folk rock songwriter Bob Dylan ("Lay Lady Lay," Glamoured) as jazz composer Miles Davis ("Seven Steps to Heaven," Traveling Miles).Moreover, she can make the most banal seeming material sound profound (as in her haunting, bluesy take on "Last Train to Clarksville").Wilson can make you appreciate songs and songwriters that you might otherwise not give a second thought, such as when she recorded "Witchita Lineman " (Belly of the Sun) by the underrated `60s and `70s songwriter Jimmy Webb, composer, for better or worse, of the song "McArthur Park, " ("someone left the cake out in the rain . . . ").Part of Wilson's unprejudicial outlook on music can be explained by her southern upbringing, and on her latest CD, Glamoured, Wilson returned to her Mississippi roots both figuratively and literally, as she recorded many of the tracks in Jackson, including the Muddy Waters song "Honey Bee."After the completion of the Mississippi sessions, Wilson returned to New York, where she enlisted the help of Italian guitarist, composer, and producer Fabrizio Sotti for the remainder of the tracts, including the Sting song "Fragile." ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Classic Female Blues    2. Contemporary Blues    3. Contemporary Singer/Songwriter    4. Jazz    5. Jazz Music    6. Pop    7. Progressive Folk    8. R&B    9. Retro-Soul    10. Soul-Blues    11. Traditional Pop    12. Vocal Pop   

Editorial Review

For the last century and more, the only place in a black American's world safe from the bossman's grasp has been the bedroom. A sense of this freedom in all its audacious raunch and hilarity fairly leaps from this brilliant anthology of bawdy blues recordings from the late 1920s through the 1930s. There are many raw delights to savor, such as Sidney Bechet's thrilling clarinet on "Preachin' Blues"; Tampa Red's Hokum Jazz Band with horny little Frankie Jaxon vamping his lead vocals on "My Daddy Rocks Me with One Steady Roll"; "Don't You Make Me High" by Merline Johnson, the Yas-Yas Girl; and "Get Off with Me" by Coot Grant and Kid Wesley Wilson. The most outrageous gem in the trove is "Winin' Boy" by Jelly Roll Morton, who, in black tie and tails, performed this vulgar masterpiece before unsuspecting governmental dignitaries in the Library of Congress just before World War II. Read more

Reviews (4)

Hey there all you Hound Dawgs and Houndettes!
Get your mojo working with this CD from Mojo Records. "The Copulatin' Blues" is bound to put some of ya'll in heat. Great Old Blues Album
This is really great material. The lyrics and music are fantastic and really transport you to another time and place. I highly recommend this and related albums including "Reefer Songs" which was also reprinted on this label and anything on the Jass or Stash labels if you can find them.

Raw Blue
A must have for Blues lovers.All the rawness of old blues, celebrating sex or the lack of it, with humor, passion and the sincerity of the true blues singer.Fine audio quality with all the cracks and pops preserverd far behind the vocals.Everything you'd expect from a great label. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20's    2. 30's    3. 40's    4. Acoustic Blues    5. Blues    6. Blues Music    7. Classic Female Blues    8. Country Blues    9. Dirty Blues    10. Dixieland    11. Jazz Blues    12. Jazz Collections    13. Piano Blues    14. Pop   

Editorial Review

We've called them torch singers, divas, chanteuses, and the First Ladies of American Song. And as the contemporary, Grammy-bedecked ascent of Norah Jones (who appears here with Charlie Hunter) attests, these ladies who sing the blues continue to reinterpret a tradition rooted in the blues, yet steeped in songcraft that spans jazz, pop, and even rock. This double-disc, 26-track collection spans a half-century-plus and offers up not only a tantalizing introduction to legends and pioneers (including Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Della Reese, Etta James, Lena Horne) and an equally rich body of song standards, but also chronicles how an originally largely black heritage in effect became the pop mainstream in the '40s and '50s (and beyond) via the work of singers like Dinah Shore, Kay Starr, June Christy, Peggy Lee and Julie London. It's also a testament to how vital that legacy remains, with Jones' own Brazilian-inflected cover of Bryan Ferry's "More Than This" and Patricia Barber's spare, sultry '90s read of "The Thrill Is Gone" but two strong examples of the set's expansive scope. It's a compelling sampler and the best kind of musical appetizer: One that leaves you craving more. Read more

Reviews (6)

The Same Lady Sings the Blues
Altho the disk spans 50 years of torch singing, it amazed me how all these ladies sound the same.Only Etta James stands out with some life in her voice, everyone else is so so smooth I lose track of who is singing.

Relax with the Ladies!
This is a very nice cd.The contributions by Norah Jones and Patricia Barber alone are well worth the price.Where is Tierney Sutton?!

nice
Wow these womens voice can sound as deep as the ocean to as high as the everlasting sky. Each song & singer is fantastic! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ballads    2. Blues    3. Blues Collections    4. Pop    5. Popular Music    6. Standards    7. Torch Songs    8. Traditional Pop    9. V/A Compilations    10. Vocal Jazz   

Reviews (3)

Holiday music by some of the legends of American jazz.
There's something for everyone on this wonderfully eclectic recording, which ranges from Oscar Peterson's almost lullaby-like piano on "A Child is Born" to Bill Evans's jazzy piano improvisations (overdubbed) on "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," and Sister Rosetta Tharpe's "O, Little Town of Bethlehem," a full-out, hand-clapping, rocking and stomping Gospel song. Containing both vocals and instrumentals, with arrangements which vary from softly sweet to full-out wailing, this CD is full of delightful surprises to keep the Christmas repertoire fresh.
Great Christmas CD
This is one of our favorite Christmas CDs year after year.It's a great collection of some classic performances.

To my knowledge, the best jazz Christmas disc around
A great eclectic mix of both vocal and instrumental jazz. Dinah Washington's voice makes for a strangely stirring "Silent Night," and Ella's "Secret of Christmas" might just be the most gorgeousChristmas recording ever. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 40's    2. 50's    3. 60's    4. Ballads    5. Bop    6. Christmas    7. Christmas / Chanukkah    8. Christmas Music    9. Classic Female Blues    10. Holiday    11. Pop    12. Standards    13. Swing    14. Traditional Pop    15. Vocal Jazz    16. Xmas Vocal Collections   

Editorial Review

The casual setting of this one-day live session produced an uncompromisingly fiery album, here happily augmented by three bonus tracks. Washington rips, roars, and caresses her material, sometimes all at once, while leaving plenty of room for the likes of Clifford Brown, Clark Terry, and Max Roach to shine. The highlight is a "You Go to My Head" that's the very definition of the phrase "a summer with a thousand Julys." Read more

Reviews (10)

The Female Sinatra:ADORE ADORE ADORE ADORE
Did I mention I ADORE this album?The female Sinatra, that's Dinah. I can't understand why she doesn't get the airplay of her other jazz diva sisters.Where Ella is mellow and Billie is blue, Dinah is crystalline and insistent without sacrificing soul.If Ella is a sax, Dinah is a trumpet.
not dinah
I bought this CD because I love Dinah Washington.Most of the CD is wonderful.But two of the cuts don't have Dinah singing at all.They are fine tunes, I suppose, but they are not what I thought I was purchasing.I wanted Dinah Washington, not some other musicians jamming.I feel I was mislead, and ripped off.

Dinah Jams!
Dinah Washington is not one of the great jazz singers; but her voice is one of the great jazz instruments. And on "DINAH JAMS," Dinah Washington is surrounded by some unbelievable instruments: her regular trio (with pianist Junior Mance), the Max Roach Quintet (Clifford Brown and tenor Harold Land) plus sitters-in alto Herb Gellar, Clark Terry and Maynard. Yeah, that's right ... Brown Terry Ferguson. Stand the hell back. Put the trumpets down and step away from the vocalist. Damn. I cannot take this CD out of my player. This month I have added Monk, Mose, and MJQ to my collection, as well as some reasonably priced `tween-war music. All of these should be fighting for a place in the rotation, and it should be a fair fight. But it isn't. Dinah jams. That's all. If all I had was one track on a mix tape, I would probably rewind that one track and listen to it to the exclusion of all else. It makes me dizzy to think about that, but in a good way.
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Subjects:  1. Ballads    2. Classic Female Blues    3. Jazz    4. Jazz Music    5. Jazz Vocals    6. Pop    7. Standards    8. Traditional Pop    9. Vocal Jazz   

Reviews (5)

A voice that is aging, but still so warm and comfortable
This is for Etta James' real fans, the ones who have listened to her through her career and still want to hear more from her, even realizing that she is past her prime.Her voice still has that warm quality and she still has the style that gives one the feeling that she is singing particularly for the individual listener. Tradition with a tough and sassy edge.
Most of the songs on this album are the same old Christmas carols you�ve heard a million times, but I promise you have never heard them sound quite like this. Etta James has always been a tough, earthy belter with as much soul as Aretha Franklin or Otis Redding. And a brave singer too, willing to let her voice range off into all kinds of moans and groans and astonishing scatting. But as she�s gotten older (she�s in her sixties now � although you�d never guess it from the strength of her voice), she�s developed a depth and subtlety, a jazz singer�s phrasing, that makes her unbeatable. Cross Billie Holiday with Janis Joplin and you end up somewhere in the neighborhood of the mature Etta James. Something Different for Christmas
This album is wonderful for those of you who are sick of Mannheim Steamroller, Bing Crosby, and the like.Etta James' unique voice makes this a CD for those who want something different to listen to during the holidays. This album is great to listen to because it has some wonderful, tight, playing by some seasoned jazz musicians, along with fresh arrangements of Christmas standards. The CD has been done quite tastefully, yet still has a nice edge to it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Christmas    2. Christmas / Chanukkah    3. Christmas Music    4. Classic Female Blues    5. Holiday    6. Pop    7. R&B    8. Soul    9. Soul-Blues    10. Xmas Vocal   

Editorial Review

This box set earns the "deluxe" designation not only because of its handsome packaging, insightful essays by Holiday scholars, and testimonials from the likes of Tony Bennett, Sonny Rollins, and Etta James, but also because of the vastly improved remastered sound that makes Read more

Features

• Box set
• Original recording remastered

Reviews (19)

If there is a "must", this is it
I have listened to this music my whole life long, from the early 10"LPs on, and I already had 4 different reissues on CD of Lady Day OK & Columbia recordings, but - friends - what these guys have done is an incredible sound improvement, quite different from previous CDs & LPs. And the package is almost perfect, just like an old 78s album. Do not worry too much about what other friends have written, the sleeves beeing too tight and so on: you just have to be a little careful. Had I to stay on the famous lonely island, this is the jazz album I would need to have with me!

ART!
Giving this release less than 5 stars is just irresponsible. These sides are beyond critiscm, they are part of the legacy of the human spirit. Yes, there are cheaper imports, but those are rip offs. This time Columbia did a great job and they deserve your hard earned money. Of course, it would be nice that 10 copies of this were sent to every library in the country, I cant think of a better way to improve jazz apreciation in this country.

Just the most essential music of the 20th century
I would need much much more than a thousand words to tell you about my feelings related to this sublime music.How many times I cried listening to some tunes,or was feeling incredibly high and happy listening to other ones.Read more

Subjects:  1. Ballads    2. Box Sets (Audio Only)    3. Classic Female Blues    4. Jazz    5. Jazz Music    6. Jazz Vocals    7. Pop    8. Standards    9. Swing    10. Torch Songs    11. Traditional Pop    12. United States of America    13. Vocal Jazz   

Reviews (6)

Another great Alligator offering
You can pick up any of Koko Taylor's Alligator albums and expect a good time, and this is not the least of them.
Go on Koko
If you think a bear is scary with its growls you shouls listen to this album. Koko has a fierce growl that will get you up off of your feet. Like in the song I Can Love You Like A Woman or I can Fight You Like A MAN. Oh BOY! She sounds like she can fight like a tiger. There is no other woman on this PLANET that can replicate a voice this good. Buy this album and I garantee you will not be dissapointed.I am only 12 years old and let me tell you I love her better than I love any other singer.

A SIX star cd, all the way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I don't know what's wrong with all these ametuel reviewers, who rave about her and only give her four stars(as if they feel they are being professional by never giving 5 star reviews).This cd is worthy of SIX stars.Especially the reviewer that says she is the Queen and this cd is perfect, the why did he only leave 4 stars(STUPID, really stupid).This is without a doubt Koko Taylor's finest session, and it deserves more respect the some bozo casually leaving 4 star(actaully 3 bozos).Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Music    3. Electric Chicago Blues    4. Modern Electric Chicago Blues    5. Pop   

Features

• Explicit Lyrics
• Original recording remastered

Reviews (3)

Momma's Gonna Shave 'em Dry
She deserves better.Ms. Bogan doesn't seem to be as well known or respected as the likes of Bessie smith, "Ma" Rainey, or Ida Cox, but she is every bit as authentic a classic blues singer as any of them.I take it her musicianship was eclipsed by the bawdy themes her music explored, most notably rather explicit songs about prostitution ("barbecue Bess," "Stew Meat Blues," "Groceries on the Shelf").She also sings- fairly explicitly even by today's standards- about adultery, lesbianism, alcoholism, coke-snorting ("Baking-Powder Blues)," and abusive men.
Lucille really shaves them dry
Of the 1920's to 1930's female blues singers, Lucille Bogan was one of the earthiest.Shave'em Dry takes the last set of recordings she did on Banner and ARC records, from 1933 to 1935, on ARC records.Accompanying her was pianist Walter Roland, also on that label.Her songs were groundbreaking in terms of explicitness, the use of double entendres, innuendos, and metaphors, and also of a woman in a man's world.She went under her Bessie Anderson persona, Bessie derived from her legendary contemporary, Bessie Smith.
...as big as two thumbs
Lucille Bogan! She is a national hero! Give Bessie and Billie a rest and spend some time with this unregenerate reprobate. I kind of love her earlier records a bit more (see my review of the Yazoo compilation) but these are great too. And you can't live without Shave 'Em Dry. All three versions lovingly reissued on a major label! Is this a great world or what? ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Classic Female Blues    3. Country Blues    4. Pop    5. Prewar Blues    6. Prewar Country Blues   

Features

• Box set
• Original recording remastered

Reviews (1)

Fantastic!
I've been visiting this box-set often since picking it up a few months ago. Previous to this, I only had one Memphis Minnie disc, so the vast majority of this box was new to me. Memphis Minnie is truly one of the giants of pre-war blues, yet she seems to be somewhat forgotten. Her name doesn't often seem to roll off the tongues of even many of the people who have gotten beyond just Robert Johnson. Hopefully this low priced yet high quality collection will help fix that situation. Read more

Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Blues    3. Blues Music    4. Blues Traditional    5. Classic Female Blues    6. Country Blues    7. Country/Bluegrass    8. Pop    9. Prewar Country Blues   

Subjects:  1. Classic Female Blues    2. Jazz    3. Nostalgia    4. Pop    5. Pop Vocals    6. Tin Pan Alley Pop    7. Vaudeville    8. Vocal   

Editorial Review

Putting her age-deepened voice to another set of small-group versions of jazz and pop standards, Etta James makes Read more

Reviews (7)

the slings and arrows in song
This disc gives us a mature, world-weary Etta, who sings her heart out in this fabulous jazz album, mostly about the slings and arrows of love, obsession, and in "He's Funny That Way", a recognition of one's own character failures. One of the main strengths of the CD is the choice of material, which consists of some of the best melodies and strongest lyrics ever written, and Etta wrings every ounce of soul out of them.
In response to the last review
Etta James is not dead! Perhaps you are thinking of Etta Jones?

Rather Etta than Ella anytime...
All I know about EJ is what's on this recording. I wish I had listened to her long before.But she has the right combination of tenderness and sweaty hot sexy soul and it just suits me fine. I don't think the album will ever get tired. Read more

Subjects:  1. Ballads    2. Blues    3. Jazz Music    4. Pop    5. Soul-Blues   

Reviews (3)

good cd
if you want a far superior version of "When the Levee Breaks," listen to Led Zeppelin's masterpiece-and no it's not a cover, just lyrically similar

Essential Blues, fun blues, teaching blues. Minnie's Blues
Minnie seems to be overlooked today.Yet, she was one of the most popular blues singers of the 1930s and 1940s.Her style and vigor and the excellence of both her singing, her guitar playing, and the lyrics of her songs, set her apart and above other blues singers.
Memphis Minnie Rocks!
"Queen of the blues?," you may ask.After you check out this CD, you'll understand why.There were many outstanding female blues vocalists of the first half of the 20th Century, but Minnie not only sang, she was also an accomplished guitarist and wrote many of her songs.Read more

Subjects:  1. Acoustic Blues    2. Acoustic Chicago Blues    3. Acoustic Memphis Blues    4. Blues    5. Blues Music    6. Blues Traditional    7. Classic Female Blues    8. Pop    9. Prewar Country Blues   

Editorial Review

In 1961 jazz-backed blues seemed slack, almost nonexistent. Bebop, hard bop, tenor sax & organ combos, and the avant-garde were more relevant in the jazz world. And blues was veering toward an electrified, altogether different realm. So when Chris Albertson brought Alberta Hunter, Victoria Spivey, and Lucille Hegamin to the acclaimed Rudy Van Gelder's studio to capture songs from the era when jazz and blues melded together, the result could've easily sounded thinly nostalgic. But with a backing band that included pianist Willie "the Lion" Smith (on Hegamin's four tunes) and trombonist J.C. Higginbotham and clarinetist Buster Bailey (on the four tracks from both Hunter and Spivey), this session came out topnotch. It's redolent of an earlier era (specifically the early 1920s, when the three singers got their starts), but each of the tracks is potent with a deep, slow swing accentuating the peerless vocals. Spivey's grainy voice is impassioned and powerful, in the same way that Hunter's is unmistakable in its slight waver, carrying her sometimes near-spoken lines to the stars (especially as she delivers jewels like this: "I don't like those hepster lovers / They've got larceny in their eyes / They got a handful of gimme / And a mouthful of much obliged"). The acoustics are as sharp as any of Van Gelder's sessions, and the music is majestic. Read more

Reviews (3)

Wonderful
Every time I listen this album,I feel like a proud father who have to choose which one is his favourite daughter.As the big fan of 1920's classic female blues,I find this album simply irressistible.Since the biggest and the most talented names (Ma Rainey,Bessie Smith)were dead until 1940's,Chris Albertson (author of Bessie Smith biography) saved music of survived contemporaries Victoria Spivey,Alberta Hunter and Lucille Hegamin for new generations of music lovers.All three of them,in my opinion,sound better and more enthusiastic then in their younger days,althought true to be told,only Spivey would fitt in the blues category,while Hegamin and Albert represent old-time vaudeville tradition.Wonder why Sippie Wallace and Ida Cox (still recording at the time of this album) were not invited... While Spivey and specially Hunter recorded long afterwards,this was the last time we heard from wonderful,clear-voiced Hegamin who was obviously enjoying herself on these recordings.She sounded like enthusiastic school girl trapped in a body of older woman!My only regret is that,althought this album was recorded in one day,the chance to hear these three voices singing together was missed,we only hear each of them separatedly.

On my top ten list...
Alberta Hunter, Victoria Spiver, and Lucille Hegiman all blues veterens from the 20's sound wondeful, torchy and playful accomanied by top jazz players.Excellent LP.Recommended especailly to jazz vocal fans.

authentic AH
Liked it better on vinyl, but I'll buy it on CD to play in my car ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Music    3. Blues Traditional    4. Classic Female Blues    5. Pop    6. Standards   

Reviews (9)

Classic American Music
The depth and excellence of American music is unparalled in the world, but sometimes I've wondered about the best definition for it.I think my choice would be Billie Holiday in front of a small jazz combo singing American standards of popular music the way only she could.This was 1952 and Billie was starting to wear down, but her voice was still fine if laced with hard experience.Here she just rolls through a wonderful lineup of songs with a gently swinging combo; never too hard or too soft, the absolutely perfect record for sitting on the couch with a glass of wine and just letting your cares melt away.

One word... Perfect!
The first time I listened to this album I wept from the sheer power and beauty of Billie's voice.I've been a fan of Billie since I first heard her, but nothing could prepare me for just how wonderful this album is.There is really only one word to describe this collection of songs, perfect."Autumn In New York" is but one of the jewels found on this album."Solitude" might just be the most heart wrenching song ever.Yet, for all that solace it is divinely beautiful in every way.As is this whole album.To me it is like a gift from the heavens.One that should be cherished and listened to over and over again.

Another One of Billie's "Must Own's"
Billie scores another triumph for herself with this essential recording.Made in 1952 when her voice was still in pretty good shape (most of the fans will agree after listening). The song selection was a bold one since half are from her Columbia days in the 1930's.Here is a different Billie because most of the tempos have been slowed down to suit her taste and preference.This was her first release since leaving the Decca label and what a big relief it is to hear her again in a jazz combo setting with some occasional saxophone backing thrown in.Every song is framed around Billie's voice and her wonderful interpretation.While her voice has taken on more rasp, it has also grown fuller and rich with nuance and subtlety, something she did not possess in her "golden era" of the 1930s.All are standards on this 15-song set, including an alternate take of "Autumn in New York".Verve has done a pretty good job remastering, though some hisses are still evident, but it doesn't get in the way of the aural enjoyment of Billie's performance. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ballads    2. Classic Female Blues    3. Jazz    4. Jazz Music    5. Jazz Vocals    6. Pop    7. Swing    8. Traditional Pop    9. Vocal Jazz   

Editorial Review

Bawdy blues belter Kane reaffirms her role as the 21st-century Bessie Smith with another satisfying collection of smart, sexy, and well-sung discourses on the pleasures and pitfalls of physical love. Despite her sexy mama image Kane is no novelty act; she's a first-class singer with enlightened musical sensibilities and that's why she always attracts high-quality help. Longtime guitarist Jeffrey P. Ross, jazz saxophonist Brandon Fields, the infamous Rev. Billy C. Wirtz, and bluesman Charlie Musselwhite, who adds some harp on "Put It All In There" and guitar and vocals on "What's That Smell," offer expert assistance but it's Kane's sly take on the sexes that carries the show. She kicks off things with a testifying rendition of the Etta James classic "Something's Got a Hold On Me" before romping through several witty originals and unexpected covers. The title track, delivered with grownup glee, is indeed the Led Zeppelin song and once you've heard Kane's rendition the boyish bravado of the original will never sound the same again. "Fit, Fat, and Fine," with jumpish horns helping out, is a swinging feminine update of Willie Dixon's "Three Hundred Pounds of Joy" while "Lion in My House," like Kane herself, is simply something that has to be heard to be believed. --Read more

Reviews (11)

Whole Lotta Love
Candye Kane has a very strong voice. Although Whole Lotta Love is a Willie Dixon song, it is most equated with Led Zeppelin. Candye really belts the song out and could probably give Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin a run for his money. If you enjoy the blues, I recommend this one.

One of the best CDs of the year - JUST BUY IT!
I first saw Candye at the American Music Festival at Fitgerald's near Chicago a few years back.She blew me away with her voice, her humor, and charisma.But even that didn't prepare me for how much I love this CD.EVERY song is wonderful, you won't be hitting the FF on this.It just leaps out of your speakers and grabs you and doesn't let go.It works if you're in a mellow mood or if you want to rock.

We all need a Whole Lotta Love!
Something's got a hold on me right now - it's Candye Kane's "Whole Lotta Love"! The rythm, the sound, her voice - it pulls you right out of your chair. The songs are outstanding and very diverse, and her "Fit, Fat, and Fine" is a great dedication to voluptuous women.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Music    3. Blues-Rock    4. Contemporary Blues    5. Jump Blues    6. Pop    7. Retro Swing   

Reviews (1)

A generous selection of classic blues.
Featuring in the history of North American music, and flourishing between the two world wars was the Negroid song known as the "blues".Its origin is usuallyattributed to W C Handy.A "blues" song has its own tonality, harmony, duple time and other requisite features, and its singer usually laments, with little restriction on bawdy detail, the absence or loss of a lover.Ma Rainey was an early and influential exponent,and also a friend and teacher of Bessie Smith (1895-1937).We, in our turn, may lament the fact that Bessie Smith's life was short, tempestuous and tragic, but we can be grateful for at least two things.Firstly, she received the advantage of superb technical quality recording during the years 1925 to 1933.Secondly, she attracted or was accorded some of the best jazz musicians of her day to participate in her recordings - Charlie Green trombone, Fletcher Henderson, piano, Eddie Lang, guitar, Jack Teagarden trombone, etc.Read more

Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Blues Music    3. Blues Traditional    4. Classic Female Blues    5. Classic Jazz    6. Pop