Originally released in 1958 by the budget-priced
Crown
label,
The Blues
collected a dozen sides
B.B. King
cut for
RPM
and
Kent
between 1951 and 1958. (
were owned by the
Bahari Brothers
who also ran
, which explains how one of the true prestige artists of the
blues
ended up on such a notoriously cheap-o label.) As was often the case with
's product,
used a single hit tune (in this case
"When My Heart Beats Like a Hammer,"
a Top Ten
R&B
chart entry in 1954) to help sell a package of lesser-known material, but thankfully the label also picked some great tunes that hardly sound like filler, even if they didn't make the charts. The material on
is dominated by muscular, horn-driven performances with
King
's interjections of single-note riffs and powerful string bends punctuating the arrangements, and
's songwriting was already stellar, with
"I Want to Get Married,"
"Don't You Want a Man Like Me,"
"Ruby Lee"
demonstrating his way with a melody and a lyrical conceit. While
's recordings gained a greater depth and emotional force as he moved into the '60s, his
takes were the work of a man who already had an enviable command of his instrument and a real gift as a vocalist and songwriter, and though he would get better with time,
demonstrates he was already near the top of his class. [
Ace
's 2005 CD reissue of
adds an additional six rare and unheard takes to the package.] ~ Mark Deming