Customer Reviews

His Best

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

Jimmy Rogers was not as prolific as the big four at Chess (Muddy Waters, Howling Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson and Little Walter), but he was just as good in his writing, playing and singing. Plus, he had that same crack band that backed both Muddy and Little Walter, many times with those two included.

Rogers is sorely overlooked in the realm of classic Chicago blues, and this collection brilliantly shows why.

Jimmy Rogers' His Best is a very good classic BLUES cd sung by a good singer. This makes it a relatively rare phenomena because most of the classic male BLUES singers were not blessed with good voices. His Best is definitely worth listening to and enjoying if you seek listening pleasure and want to learn more about the BLUES. His Best is not an outstanding BLUES cd. I compare other BLUES artists to the outstanding quality of Freddie King's best music in order to rate other BLUES cds on a five point scale. Jimmy Rogers has neither the vocal talent nor the guitar playing ability of Freddie King. However, Jimmy Rogers is a good singer and plays the guitar well. He is also a talented harmonica player. Jimmy Rogers' classic BLUES songs are slow to midtempo music. These BLUES songs do not have the energy or "drive" that characterize the outstanding music of Freddie King or The Fabulous Thunderbirds. This more subdued quality that characterized Jimmy Rogers' blues music was the dominant form of classic BLUES prior to the beginning of Rock N Roll music. The combination of good singer and classic BLUES is what makes His Best unique! If you are like me, you usally don't enjoy any form of music where the vocalist is not at least a good singer. I am currently listening to Jimmy Rogers' His Best in my car stereo because I want to fully understand Jimmy's classic BLUES music. However, His Best will not remain in my car stereo for a very long time, like a few BLUES cds do, because Jimmy Rogers' slow to midtempo music does not fascinate me to the same very high degree thay my very favorite and more recently recorded BLUES cds do. I take objection to one particular song on His Best which praises the merits of alcohol and getting drunk. Other than that one particular song, I gain much listening pleasure and a greater understanding of classic BLUES music from listening to His Best. This cd deserves a four plus rating. If you are curious about BLUES music and/or want to enjoy very good classic BLUES music sung by a good singer, I recommend Jimmy Rogers' His Best to you.

John