Dootone
and its affiliated labels were most known for recording
doo wop
groups, but it also made quite a few records with
Willie Headen
, who usually sang in a much bluesier small combo
R&B
style. A lot of the tracks from his mid- to late-'50s singles are on this 28-track compilation, which also has songs that appeared on his 1960
Blame It on the Blues
LP and a few outtakes and alternate takes.
Headen
was something of a journeyman singer, but as journeymen go, he was near the top of that niche, and this is a commendably consistent collection of '50s
, though not one that marks him as an unfairly neglected or underrated performer. Writing much of his material himself,
had a pleasingly smooth, slightly-higher-than-average-register vocal delivery. He handled both up-tempo and slower-shufflin', piano-grounded
blues
/
crossover music with aplomb, and sometimes let his
gospel
roots show more than most such discs by singers of the time did. Fans of the early
Charles Brown
-influenced recordings of
Ray Charles
, for instance, will likely enjoy this, though it's not unduly imitative of either
Brown
or
Charles
, and in a slightly more updated style than
' early work. ~ Richie Unterberger