An incredible lost moment in the career of Screamin Jay Hawkins – material that was recorded in London in the mid 60s, and with a very different flavor than most of Hawkins' other material! There's a mod jazz approach to this set that's totally great – as Jay's raw vocals come into play with a sweet-grooving Hammond, in a combo that also features some sharp work on guitar, and some strong sax solos too! The upbeat, jazzy vibe is totally great – and gives Screamin Jay a whole new focus for his vocals – and for his songwriting, too – as most of the material here is original. And while Hawkins is always best remembered for his spooky, gimmicky cuts, this material is equally great in a totally different way – and, if it were pursued further, might have given the man a whole new direction in his career. Make no mistake, there's still plenty here to love if you're a longtime fan of Screamin Jay Hawkins – but you'll also really appreciate the mod grooves in the set as well! Titles include "I Wanna Know", "In My Dream", "Change Your Ways", "Serving Time", "Please Forgive Me", "Move Me", "My Marion", and "All Night". Plus, CD features a whopping 12 bonus tracks – a few alternate takes, and other versions of album songs – plus the titles "I'm Lonely" and "Stone Crazy". (Soul, Blues) CD

A killer collection of cuts, and one that looks at one of the coolest musical hybrids of the postwar years – work that's very strongly R&B at the core, but which also bears a surprising influence from Latin music in the rhythms – all of which makes for a very unusual groove! There's been other collections of this nature, but this one not only stacks the deck with a huge number of tracks – 62 in all – but also includes material that you might not normally associate with this mode, but which fits into the track list surprisingly well! Titles include "The Crawl" by Guitar Junior, "Got Love If You Want It" by Slim Harpo, "Mary Ann" by Texas Ray, "Girl That Radiates Charm" by Arthur Alexander, "Where's My Money" by Willie Jones, "Hurricane" by Dave Cortez, "Shoo Doo" by Andre Williams, "Night Train To Memphis" by Bobby Hebb, "Only Sixteen" by Tal Miller, "Voodoo Woman" by Curtis Knight, "Yours Truly" by Ford Eaglin, "Tell Me Pretty Baby" by Screamin Joe Neal, "Pig Tails & Ribbons" by Leonard Carbo, and "Wicked Old Fever" by Charles Sheffield. (Soul, Blues) CD

Legendary Paramount recordings from Charlie Patton – mostly recorded in Richmond, Indiana in 1929 – but easily some of the most important Mississippi blues of the time! The package features a wealth of seminal songs from the June, 1929 session that really helped launch the Patton legacy – tracks that are arguably as important to the development of blues as the work of Robert Johnson, and which quite possibly circulated even more at the time. Patton's got a slightly folksy approach, and a sense of darkness that really makes most of these numbers very riveting, even all these many decades later – an acoustic brilliance that's had folks coming back to his music time and time again over the years.. CD features 20 titles in all – and tracks include "Screamin & Hollerin The Blues", "Pea Vine Blues", "Hammer Blues", "Dry Well Blues", "Poor Me", "Hang It On The Wall", "Down The Dirt Road Blues", "Mississippi Boweavil Blues", and "Tom Rushen Blues". CD