A rare soul treasure – previously unissued work from Little Willie John, cut for Capitol Records by the mighty David Axelrod! The pairing is quite unique, but it's a great one – and if anything, Little Willie John sparkles here even more than on his later King sides – finding a hipper 60s groove that moves way past older R&B modes! Willie's vocals are still wonderful, and they're set up here with arrangements from HB Barnum – who brings in plenty of bounce, snap, and vamp to the grooves – similar to his more famous Axelrod productions for Lou Rawls, but rougher and grittier here in the company of John. A few cuts bring in more ambitious backings – taking Little Willie into the same space as his longtime fan and supporter James Brown – at least in the way Brown hit ballads during the 60s – and given Axelrod's hand in the studio, there's a clarity here that the singer hardly would have found at King Records, who blocked the initial release of this material back in the 60s. CD features 20 tracks in all – a number of alternates, and the master takes – with tunes that include "Crying Over You", "Country Girl", "Suffering With The Blues", "Never Let Me Go", "I Had A Dream", "In The Dark", "Welcome To The Club", "I Need Someone", and "Early In The Morning". (Soul, Blues) CD

Fantastic material captured during the moment of Sleepy John Estes' rediscovery in 1962 – a session that mostly has Sleepy on vocals and guitar, with just a bit of additional support on a few tracks! The approach is perfect for Estes – easing him back into recording at a level that's very personal, almost conversational – and the singer has this surprisingly easygoing and fluid quality on both vocals and guitar – as if he'd been in the limelight for years, instead of lost to the shifting sands of time! Support is by the harmonica of Hammie Nickson on three tracks, and the bass of Ed Wilkenson on two as well – and titles include "City Hall Blues", "Mailman Blues", "Pat Mann", "Al Rawls", "Lawyer Clark", "Working Man Blues", "Government Money", and "Martha Hardin". CD