Beautiful late work from Lonnie Johnson – recorded decades after his bigger years on record, but handled with great care by Prestige Records, during the brief run of its Bluesville imprint! Like most of the rest of the sides at the time, the approach here is to make an older mode live again – and rather than slavishly aim for the old days, Johnson sings and plays in a way that shows that he's still a very vibrant talent – offering up new music at most points, and making the best of the newer recording techniques to show off the strength of his talents on acoustic guitar! Victoria Spivey joins in on two duets, and gets to sing one other song herself – and apart from some piano from Cliff Jackson, there's no other instrumentation at all on the record. Titles include "Long Time Blues", "You Are My Life", "Idle Hours", "Leave Me Or Love Me", "No More Cryin", "I Got The Blues So Bad", and "End It All". (Blues, Soul) CD

Could anyone ever utter a sexier line than "Don't go to strangers, come to me?" We think not, and it's material like that that makes the album a real killer from Etta Jones – one of her best from the 60s, cut when she was really developing her skills as a vocalist, but still had enough of an edge to be interesting. Backing is by a small group that includes Frank Wess, Roy Haynes, and Richard Wyands – and the album has a relaxed, jazzy quality that easily makes it one of the real standouts in Etta's career! Titles include "All The Way", "Where Or When", "Yes Sir, That's My Baby", "If I Had You", "Something To Remember You By", and "Don't Go To Strangers". (Vocalists, Soul) CD

Hard to imagine Etta Jones being lonely and blue – especially when she sounds as great as this! The album's one of Jones' early classics from Prestige – a date that really has her classing things up a lot, and drawing on bits of Billie Holiday and Dinah Washington's styles, to mix in with the bluesier tones of her roots – put together with a great deal of charm, and a new sophistication that made Etta one of the hippest jazz singers of the 60s! Backing is by a cool small combo – with Patti Brown on piano, Wally Richardson on guitar, and a bit of tenor from Budd Johnson – and titles include "I'll Be There", "In the Dark", "Gentlemen Friend", "I Wonder", and "Miss You So". CD includes 3 more bonus tracks from a date recorded with Gene Ammons on tenor – "But Not For Me", "If You're But A Dream", and "Cool Cool Daddy". (Vocalists, Soul) CD

2 funky classics from the legendary Pretty Purdie! Purdie Good is Bernard Purdie's first album as a leader for Prestige – cut right after he'd hipped up plenty of other sessions for the label with his famous funky drums! The groove here is very much in the best Prestige jazz funk mode of the early 70s – tightly vamping rhythms that draw heavily from Purdie's monstrous drums – and which also offer solo showcase space for Harold Wheeler on electric piano, Ted Dunbar on guitar, Tippy Larkin on trumpet, and Charlie Brown and Warren Daniels on tenor. Rhythm is augmented by Gordon Edwards on Fender bass and Norman Pride on congas – and the grooves hit a variety of modes that show that Purdie could sometimes be a more open-thinking rhythmatist than his funky contemporary Idris Muhammad. Titles include great instrumental versions of "Cold Sweat" and "Montego Bay", plus the originals "Wasteland", "You Turn Me On", and "Purdie Good". Shaft is a full funky session from master drummer Bernard Purdie – a set that expands out his previous Prestige vibe, and almost goes for a soundtrack scope to match the record's Shaft title! The set leads off with a great take on the Isaac Hayes hit – one that follows in the same fully-flowing, slow-building mode as Ike's – but which comes across here as an instrumental with some great solo work from Houston Person – playing here almost in a Stanley Turrentine sort of mode! Other tracks continue the hip mix of jazz and larger backings – and feature a lineup of players that includes Neal Creque on electric piano, Gerry Thomas and Danny Moore on trumpets, Willie Bridges and Houston Person on tenors, Billy Nichols and Lloyd Davis on guitars, Gordon Edwards on Fender bass, and Norman Pride on congas. The sound is warm without ever sounding too smooth – and Purdie's funky drums at the bottom ensure that most tunes are nicely lively. Titles include "Shaft", "Butterfingers", "Summer Melody", "Changes", "Way Back Home", and "Attica". (Jazz, Soul) CD

A deep, rootsy record for Bluesville by Blind Gary Davis – who sings and plays guitar on 12 spare songs with grit, soul and charm – on a mixture of traditional blues tunes and originals. Gary also recorded and performed as Reverend Gary Davis on stirring gospel blues records over the years, and while Harlem Street Singer has a strong spiritual side, it's got a downhome blues feel, too. Raw, wonderful recordings by a legend. Titles include "Tryin To Get Home", "Samson & Delilah", "Death Don't Have No Mercy", "I Belong To The Band", "Pure Religion", "I Am The Light Of This World", and "Twelve Gates To The City". CD

Rootsy blues from the brief stretch when Prestige Records was experimenting with non-jazz material – a back-to-basics session that features Johnson on electric guitar and vocals, Snowden on acoustic guitar, and only Wendell Marshall's jazz-trained bass to back the pair up. The work's in a style that's rootsier than the mainstream – almost an imagined past for this sort of blues, and one that was more aimed at the college and folksy crowd of the time than anyone else. Titles include "Savoy Blues", "I'll Get Along Somehow", "Haunted House", "Memories Of You", "I Found A Dream", and "Blues For Chris". (Blues, Soul) CD

Ed Bently on Hammond B3, AC piano, fender rhodes and synthesiers. With Jean Toussaint on tenor sax, Fletcher Smith on guitar, Jim Riley on bass and Carl Dexter on drums. (Jazz, Soul) CD

Tasty R&B material, recorded on Prestige's short-lived Tru-Sound subsidiary. Ernestine had some earlier fame under the name Anisteen Allen, and this record's got a similar sound to her late 40s work – with lots of smoky vocals, touched by a warm jazz sensibility that gives the material a bit more sophistication than your average R&B shouter. King Curtis leads the group, and titles include "Let It Roll", "Lullaby Of Broadway", "Love For Sale", and "Miss Allen's Blues". CD

A rootsy blues 2-fer – with two rare Prestige Blues sessions on a single CD! First up is Blues & Folk – a set with a very appropriate title, given the earthy feel of the music – mostly just guitar from Brownie McGhee and harmonica from Sonny Terry – plus vocals by both! There's a really laidback, back-to-the-delta sort of sound here – all acoustic, and a real change from the electric blues that was coming out in the mainstream at the time. Titles include "Gone Gal", "Red River Blues", "Sonny's Squall", "Tryin To Win", "Too Nicey Mama", and "Meet Me Down The Bottom". Next is Blues All Around My Head – very stripped down material from the team of Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee – recorded during the pair's big revival with the folk blues crowds of the 60s! The sound is all acoustic – mostly just vocals, guitar, and harmonica – played with a timeless quality on titles that include "Muddy Water", "My Plan", "Trying To Destroy Me", "Jealous Man", "Understand Me", and "Blues Of Happiness". (Blues, Soul) CD

A masterpiece of mid 70s jazz rock – from an obscure combo that features work by fusion legend Todd Cochrane Bayete! Bayete recorded two wonderful albums for Prestige before this set – and although the record has him moving into a much more rock-based style than on his fusion sessions, there's still a really cosmic groove at play here – infused with Bayete's soulful vocals and strong keyboard lines! Titles include "My Pearl", "Comin Through", "One N One", "Geni Geni", "There's A Way", "ITD", "Automatic Man", and "Atlantis Rising Theme". CD