Johnnie B. Bad
Artist: Johnnie Johnson
Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere
Artist: Hadda Brooks
The Best of Esther Phillips (1962-1970)
Artist: Esther Phillips

Although former child R&B star Esther Phillips really hit her mature peak in the '60s, commercially she had a hard time finding a niche. "Release Me," her uptown R&B version of a country song, made the pop Top Ten in 1962. But she only dented the charts occasionally over the course of the next decade, despite recording frequently in a number of... Read More

Dr. John's Gumbo/In the Right Place
Artist: Dr. John

Mobile Fidelity reissued two of Dr. John's best albums, 1972's Gumbo and 1973's In the Right Place, on one gold disc in 1994. These records arguably represent his artistic peak, and this is a good way to acquire them, but fans should know that this disc costs more than buying the two records separately. For audiophiles, this won't be a problem,... Read More

Sound Off: The Jamie Masters
Artist: Titus Turner

Titus Turner's complete masters for the Jamie label (plus a few previously unreleased cuts) are collected on this single import CD. Compared to his bluesy R&B recordings for the OKeh label in the '50s, Turner's Jamie recordings are quite different, in more of a teen-oriented Bill Haley-rock'n'roll vein, including several novelties and twist... Read More

Hallelujah Train
Artist: Mr. B.

Mr. B. (Mark Braun) is a talented boogie-woogie pianist who on this CD teams up successfully with bassist Paul Keller's Bird of Paradise orchestra, a seven-year-old big band from Michigan. The arrangements smoothly integrate Mr. B. into the orchestra and these enthusiastic live performances are often quite memorable. Although largely a "no-name"... Read More

The Complete Aladdin Recordings of Amos Milburn
Artist: Amos Milburn

Seven discs tracing the entire 1946-1957 Aladdin Records legacy of jump blues pioneer Amos Milburn, whose rippling boogie-based piano talent and predilection of songs about booze made him a postwar R&B superstar. One hundred forty-five tracks in all (including plenty of unissued goodies) tab this as the ultimate collection for Milburn fans. He... Read More

The Doctor Is In!
Artist: Piano Red

This four-CD set, containing 122 songs (23 of them previously unreleased) cut between 1950 and 1966 for RCA, Groove, Okeh, and Columbia is, literally, the best of Piano Red, and may be the best box in the entire Bear Family catalog. This is about as good as piano blues and R&B got, and also some of the best piano-based rock & roll you'll ever... Read More

Mos' Scocious: Anthology
Artist: Dr. John

Over his 35 years of recording, Mac "Dr. John" Rebennack has worn many hats, from '50s greasy rock & roller to psychedelic '70s weirdo to keeper of the New Orleans music flame. All of these modes, plus more, are excellently served up on this two-disc anthology. From the early New Orleans sides featuring Rebennack's blistering guitar work ("Storm... Read More

Six Star Gypsies
Artist: Vinegar Joe

A 13-song CD assembled from the best tracks off of Six Star Gypsies and Rock & Roll Gypsies, the band's second and third albums, respectively. Elkie Brooks tries hard to be like a kind of white version of Tina Turner, and doesn't do badly, and the playing is first-rate; the band's rhythm section was always solid no matter who was in it, and... Read More

Classified
Artist: James Booker

While there has suddenly been a flood of CDs featuring masterful New Orleans keyboard wizard and vocalist James Booker, his best release arguably remains Classified. The 12-track set was a landmark album, as Booker displayed every facet of his distinctive style. He did uptempo blues, quasi-classical, rock and R&B, making them all sound easy... Read More

Vinegar Joe
Artist: Vinegar Joe
Anutha Zone
Artist: Dr. John
Community Score: 6.00

Dr. John has spent so much time turning out perfectly enjoyable but interchangeable records that it may be easy to forget the spooky voodoo vibes of his earliest, arguably best, records. He may have forgotten it himself, too, but there was a whole generation of British musicians, from Modfather Paul Weller to Spaceman Jason Pierce to the... Read More