If You Take Me Back: Document Shortcuts, Vol. 2 in Bloomington, MN

Document Records
has nearly 900 titles in its catalog and is easily the largest purveyor of American vernacular music, with titles featuring vintage American
blues
,
jazz
boogie-woogie
gospel
old-timey
, and
country
, all drawn from commercially released 78s and rare
field recordings
.
If You Take Me Back
is one of a series of samplers
Document
has released that allows a quick glimpse into the label's vast archive, and with tracks ranging from early
country blues
to stylish early
, it has a well-sequenced variety that is often lacking on the single-artist discs, which are predominantly archival in nature. Among the highlights here are
Bukka White
's classic 1940 recording of
"Fixin' to Die Blues"
; a rediscovered
Skip James
doing
"Illinois Blues"
at a 1964 concert in Boston; a raw, stunning
field recording
of
Jimmy Peters & the Ring Dance Singers
stomping through
"Rockaway"
in 1934; and the exciting
-
Rev. Lonnie Farris & the Gospel Flames
on
"Golden Street,"
recorded in 1962 and featuring some amazing electric slide guitar work from
Farris
. The range of styles presented here is impressive, and
works both as a wonderful sampler of what
offers and as a quick introduction to true American roots music at its finest. ~ Steve Leggett