Search - Alberta Hunter :: 20's & 30's

Funny, but her great work comes much later

Sasha | at sea...sailing somewhere | 03/31/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"As 82-years old blues survivor Alberta Hunter was artist with a heart big as the world (check her "Amtrak blues" CD) - howewer,as a young woman she was closer to Vaudeville/Cabaret music that made rich customers of the night clubs giggle,than to real passionate blues that Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith recorded at the same time.Closer in spirit to "whitened" and forgotten Ethel Waters than to famous black blues mama's Hunter used heavy vibratto and her half-spoken ditties made her sound like old woman when she just started her career!This compilation is showcase of her early successes but although she wrotte "Downhearted Blues" and sang "Nobody Knows The Way I Feel This Morning",Bessie Smith and later Dinah Washington mopped the floor with her.If you like irresistible work of older Alberta Hunter,this CD is just curiosity that showes how much she progressed in the meantime.Of all the blues diva's from 20-es I still havent found anybody who can match Ma Rainey and great Bessie Smith,all others were just imitation."

A good disc!

ab | ca | 01/12/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A good sample of Alberta Hunter's jazz recordings(although some are blues). Highlights include YOU CANT TELL THE DIFFERENCE AFTER DARK and DOWNHEARTED BLUES which she wrote(which became Bessie Smith's big hit). Highly recommeded to all jazz vocal collectors & historians."