Like the first volume, this brings together a lengthy single-disc program of
blues
of various shades from the vaults of
Folkways
. Most, though not all, of these 22 tracks are acoustic, with acoustic guitar
being well represented with selections from
Leadbelly
,
Pink Anderson
Son House
Honeyboy Edwards
Big Bill Broonzy
Lightnin' Hopkins
, and
Josh White
, as well as lesser-known figures like
Cat Iron
, who plays an eerie slide guitar on
"Poor Boy a Long, Long Way from Home."
Give the compilation credit for supplying a good deal of variety, however, also dipping into
piano blues
by
Roosevelt Sykes
Memphis Slim
Mary Lou Williams
; though
Williams
is known as a
jazz
pianist rather than a
one, she's the accompanist for
Nora Lee King
's
blues-jazz
outing
"Blues -- Until My Baby Comes Home."
There's also room for a little full-band
too, with
Brownie McGhee
and
Sonny Terry
"Dark Road"
(on which they're backed by a drummer), and the much fuller
"Down in the Alley,"
an early electric band recording by
the Chambers Brothers
. And a couple of white performers make it into the program too, those being
Barbara Dane
Roscoe Holcomb
(with
"Graveyard Blues"
), and a young
Lucinda Williams
(who covers
"Make Me a Pallet on Your Floor"
). A solid and wide-ranging collection this is, but like its predecessor, it suffers from an absence of original recording or release dates for much of the material, though the annotation in the 24-page booklet is otherwise extensive. ~ Richie Unterberger