Bessie Smith - Best of Empress of the (18 tracks) +Album Reviews

Search - Bessie Smith :: Best of Empress of the

Bessie Smith
Best of Empress of the
Genres: Blues, Jazz, Pop

Track Listings (18) - Disc #1
1. Do Your Duty - Bessie Smith, Wilson, L.
2. Take Me for a Buggy Ride - Bessie Smith, Wilson, L.
3. I'm Down in the Dumps - Bessie Smith, Wilson, Lana
4. Gimme a Pigfoot - Bessie Smith, Wilson, L.
5. Safety Mama - Bessie Smith, Smith, B.
6. Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out - Bessie Smith, Cox, I.
7. Me and My Gin - Bessie Smith, Burke
8. He's Got Me Goin' - Bessie Smith, Gray, H.
9. Muddy Water (A Mississippi Moan) - Bessie Smith, DeRose, Peter
10. Young Woman's Blues - Bessie Smith, Smith, B.
11. Take It Right Back ('Cause I Don't Want It Here) - Bessie Smith, Gray, H.
12. Careless Love - Bessie Smith, Handy, W.C.
13. I Ain't Got Nobody - Bessie Smith, Graham
14. My Sweetie Went Away (She Didn't Say Where, When or Why) - Bessie Smith, Handman
15. Far Away Blues - Bessie Smith, Brooks
16. The St. Louis Blues - Bessie Smith, Handy, W.C.
17. Cake Walkin' Babies (From Home) - Bessie Smith, Smith
18. I Ain't Gonna Play No Second Fiddle - Bessie Smith, Bradford, P.

CD Details

All Artists: Bessie Smith
Title: Best of Empress of the
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: Blues Forever
Release Date: 8/10/2004
Genres: Blues, Jazz, Pop
Styles: Vocal Blues, Traditional Blues, Traditional Jazz & Ragtime
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 828317680124

CD Reviews

Nice introduction to Bessie Smith's work

Steven A. Peterson | Hershey, PA (Born in Kewanee, IL) | 08/18/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Bessie Smith had a brief, meteoric career, with her first recording in 1923 and her last in the mid-1930s, dying prematurely in 1937 at just 43 years of age. She was one of the fine blues singers of the early part of the century. One might usefully compare her art to that of Ma Rainey.

Some examples of her work on this CD:

"Do your duty": One of her later recordings. While the liner notes suggest that her voice had lost some of its shine, she sure sounds fine on this cut. She displays a wonderfully full and clear voice, smooth and lush. A nice group provides terrific instrumental support (featuring Benny Goodman). Even toward the end of her recording career, her voice was working well.

"St. Louis Blues": One of W. C. Handy's greatest hits, Bessie Smith makes it one of hers, too. Classic blues with some jazz. Louis Armstrong provides his usual stellar instrumental talent. Smith's voice weaves in and out with the instruments to telling effect. Her voice is itself a fine instrument here. Touching when she sings "I got them St. Louis blues."

"I Ain't Gonna Play no Second Fiddle": Again, Louis Armstrong plays with Bessie Smith. Her voice is in its prime. Neat stuff when she sings "I'm gonna call your bluff."

This is a fine collection of Bessie Smith's work. Her talent is well illustrated here, and one can understand why she has been held in such high repute.

"