The complete recordings of East Texas bluesman Henry Thomas – only 23 titles in all, but quite a legacy to leave behind! Thomas was a real itinerant bluesman in the old school mode – born in the 19th century, and known for travelling up and down railroad lines, where he would share and develop his songs. Given that legacy, the approach here is even more folksy than other mainstream blues of the time – acoustic guitar, vocals, and a bit of penny whistle too – a really compelling combination of modes that shows the easy genre crossings that would take place in the earliest years of the genre. The double-length set features great notes on Thomas' obscure career – and titles include "Bob McKinney", "Cottonfield Blues", "The Little Red Caboose", "Fishing Blues", "Old Country Stomp", "Lovin Babe", "Charmin Betsy", and "Texas Worried Blues". CD

Music from Ma Rainey, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Lonnie Johnson, Blind Willie Johnson, Tommy Johnson, Charley Patton, Bessie Smith, Blind Willie McTell, Cannon's Jug Stompers, Son House, Skip James, Leroy Carr & Scrapper Blackwell, Tampa Red, Sleepy John Estes, Blind Boy Fuller, Memphis Minnie, Big Joe Williams, Robert Johnson, Sonny Boy Williamson, Big Bill Broonzy, Big Maceo, Doctor Clayton, Roy Brown, T-Bone Walker, Buddy Johnson And His Orchestra, Dinah Washington, Louis Jordan, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, Paul Williams Sextet, Bullmoose Jackson, Julia Lee, Joe Liggins & His Honeydrippers, Lonnie Johnson, Sonny Boy Williamson, John Lee Hooker & The Groundhogs, Lightning Slim, Ruth Brown, Lowell Fulson, Honeyboy Edwards, Jimmy Witherspoon, Otis Grand & The Dance Kings, Alexis Korner Blues Inc, Duster Bennett, The John Dummer Blues Band, Zoot Money's Big Roll Band, John Mayall, Jo-Ann Kelly, Herbie Goins, Paul Jones, Alan Price & The Electric Blues Company, Chris Farlowe, Stan Webb's Chicken Shack, Mick Abrahams, Ruby Turner, Paul Lamb & The King Snakes, and Fred James. CD

That's hokum, not hokey – defined in the notes as "a trite, pornographic ditty"! And while the stuff here may be a bit tamer than the triple X features you'll find in your local video store, the collection offers up some surprisingly risque themes from blues 78s of the late 20s and early 30s – all put together with the usual great Yazoo packaging, right down to the Robert Crumb image on the cover. Titles include "Banana Man Blues" by Memphis Minnie, "Please Warm My Weiner" by Bo Carter, "Darktown Gambling" by Robert & Charlie Hicks, "Ham Fatchet Blues" by Buddie Burton, "You Put It In I'll Take It Out" by Papa Charlie Jackson, and "The Coldest Stuff In Town" by Whistling Bob Howe & Frankie Griggs. CD

Music from Woody Guthrie, Norman Blake, Mississippi John Hurt, David Bromberg, Etta Baker, Alison Krauss & the Cox Family, Roy Book Binder, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Marcia Ball, Irma Thomas, Boozoo Chavis, Beau Jocque & the Zydeco Hi-Rollers, Ted Hawkins, Ted Lundy, Don Stover, Boone Creek & much more. (Folk/Country, Blues) CD

Music from Clifford Gibson, Grayson & Whitter, Ephraim Woodie & The Henpecked Husbands, Teddy Darby, Roy Harvey & The North Carolina Ramblers, Lewis McDaniel & Walter Smith, the Red Fox Chasers, Clayton McMichen, Will Batts, the Memphis Jug Band & more. (Folk/Country, Blues) CD

A very cool volume of this excellent series of Louisiana sounds – one that mixes rare and unreleased tracks from the late 50s from equally great 70s sounds – all with a unified bluesy groove that really makes the whole thing come together nicely! The 70s tracks have a style that's much more old school than some of the blues recordings from other scenes at the time! Most of this music could be of late 50s or early 60s vintage, given the approach – which often electrifies the guitar, sometimes throws in a harmonica solo, and usually keeps the rhythms as raw as the production – holding onto an edge that was often missing from more commercial blues productions of the period! There's also a number of cuts by artists you might also know from zydeco work, but who are definitely working here as blues musicians – really showing the link between the two styles. Some of the older music is from the Flyright label – those great JD Miller recordings from the farther reaches of the scene – and also includes some unreleased tracks, too. Package features 28 tracks in all – with titles that include "I'm Not Jiving" by Juke Boy Bonner, "I'm A Lucky Lucky Man" by Henry Gray, "She's Gone" by Schoolboy Cleve, "Wild About My Baby" by Slim Harpo, "No Use To Worry" by Lonesome Sundown, "Oh Yeah She's Gone" by Boozoo Chavis, "I Told My Little Woman" by Lazy Lester, "Late Hour Blues" by Henry Clement, "Night & Day My Love" by Clifton Chenier, "Frankie & Johnny" by Jimmy Anderson, and "Sitting Here Alone" by Johnny Sonnier. CD