Customer Reviews

Mose Allison - Greatest Hits

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4 star:		(1)
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Of the many Mose Allison anthology CDs available, this is definitely the best. The must-have selections like Seventh Son, Parchman Farm, and Young Man's Blues are in there along with a slew of others, mostly well-worn standards. Everything about this CD is as comfortable as an old shoe - putting it on is the audio equivalent of starting a fire on a winter's day and cracking open a favorite book as you sink further into your easy chair.

Mose Allison's delivery is so laid back that if he slowed down any more he'd be going in reverse. His soft, lazy vocals and seemingly effortless piano playing are like a lullaby, but his lyrics and delivery are always tinted with sly irony. Sometimes the humor is barely concealed, for example, in One Room Country Shack, at other times it sneaks up stealthily as it does on Do Nothin' Till You Hear From Me and If You Live. Ultimately it doesn't matter which track you play, Mose makes everything he touches his own. Like the other great ones, Mose Allison has refined a style recognizable at 50 paces, unique and thoroughly pleasant to hear. At the Amazon price I saw listed, you could hardly get more ear candy for less.

I've been constantly interested in the way Mose has written lyrics to reflect our times...ever evolving--literally a philosopher.
But that wouldn't mean anything without his great music.
"That's Your Red Wagon" is about dragging around your hang-ups. "The Gettin' Paid Waltz" is every working man/woman's song. "If You Live" is about something our society can't even talk about.
If you like great jazz and a master of the word, you'll love Mose Allison. You can take him light--just good jazz, or taste his words. Mose invented words with music.

I've owned this CD for years, but always thought the sound quality was rather poor (muddy). MOSE ALLISON SINGS, a 2006 RVG Remaster, is the exact same set of songs (I kid you not; go figure) with much-improved sound.

This CD (once an LP, with 3 added bonus tracks), collects Mose's vocal sides off of his 6 mainly instrumental Prestige recordings made 1957-59. Allison's voice and vocal style are immediately infectious; everything he sings is tinged with a downhome blues feeling, as might be expected from a man from Tippo, Mississippi. "Eyesight to the blind," "Lost mind," and "One room country shack" are the best of the best here and keep getting better. Mose is a terrific singer; this is my favorite album of his. A must have CD.

This album has been around for 40 years, from back when Mose traded gigs with Charley Byrd at the Byrds nest at 18th and Columbia road in DC. "The seventh Son", a Willie Dixon number, has been covered by many including Johnny Rivers who made it a hit. "Parchman Farm" is done beautifully by Mose, a Mississippi son, about life on the prison farm. "If you live", with immortal lyrics like "chile don't mess with them pots and pans you gonna soon enough ruin your pretty hands", is as poignant today as when it was recorded originally by Mose. The whole album is terrific and stands the test of time. If you you like funky jazz, if you like Steeley Dan, buy this CD. It's really good.

I first heard Mose in the late 50's. Paul David, a trumpet player lived across the driveway and in the hot West Tennessee summers before ac, I would listen to him practice from my front porch. PD was hip and played with a jazz band and had a wonderful disc collection. That's when I heard Mose and wanted to be Mose and started copying his songs on my piano. I still play "Talking about your woman"...Sonny Boy via Mose. As I grew older and my tastes expanded I realized his limitations and tired of his psuedo-hipster approach, limited range, and cliche playing....but I never entirely left him behind. And now, his songbook is covered by so many fine younger singers and his originals are fast becoming standards. When I was young,Mose was as close as I could get to bridging jazz and R&B in a way that was accssible to me. This album is a wonderful starting point and no matter how blase I become, I still listen to Mose's interpretations and once again feel how I felt on my front porch, wishing I could play like PD and be as cool as Mose...as hip as Mose...as Mose as Mose

Mose Allison is always great and this is no exception. If you want good music and the best of Mose, get this CD.

If you are interested in exploring Mose, start here. From the opening chords of "The Seventh Son" onward, you will understand why this is a very special artist. Daly

and my introduction to jazz was through the Student Union music library at the U of Oregon. Mose Allison was my favorite pick then and still is today. These cuts are where to start exploring jazz.