Critic's Review
Ken Dryden, All Music Guide
This CD compiles tracks from three separate LPs of the always-swinging blues shouter Jimmy Rushing, produced by John Hammond in the 1950s. Most of the music comes from the best date, Listen to the Blues; highlights include a spirited "Evenin'," the classic "See See Rider" with a fine trumpet solo by Emmett Berry, and "Roll 'Em Pete," a popular boogie-woogie tune that finds the leader on the sidelines except for shouting encouragement. The three selections from Listen to the Blues are badly dated by the questionable addition of organist Marlowe Morris, while only the oft-requested "Sent for You Yesterday" is included from the far-superior album Goin' to Chicago. It's good to see some of this important music become available once again, though Rushing fans would have preferred intact reissues of the original albums.
