Jimmy Witherspoon - Jimmy Witherspoon...Plus

When it was issued as an LP in 1958, Jimmy Witherspoon was just a random -- and short -- roundup of ten tracks from 1949-1951 singles he'd done for Modern. As is typical for the Ace label, however, the CD reissue adds a lot of value, tacking on eight bonus tracks from other 1948-1951 singles, as well as lengthy historical liner notes. Together with a previous Ace compilation, Blowin' In From Kansas City, it supplies a good overview of Witherspoon's early career, in which he -- like so many R&B singers -- was purveying a brand of West Coast blues that could both swing and croon. Read More