Critic's Review
Thomas Ward, All Music Guide
A magnificent budget two-disc set containing the most necessary cuts from Sleepy John Estes, one of the greatest acoustic guitar players in blues history. Compiling the best of Estes' prewar recordings is an enormously difficult task, as the vast majority are preserved in excellent fidelity, revealing every nuance of Estes' wonderfully expressive voice and guitar style. Naturally, all the best-known songs are here, and it's still a joy to hear "Milk Cow Blues" and "Down South Blues," as well as many lesser-known cuts. Most blues fans would argue that Estes did his best work in the two decades preceding World War II and, listening to this excellent collection, it's very hard to disagree.
