I Feel So Good, The 1951-54 J.O.B.Sessions

The template for J.B. Lenoir's best songs found his high, reedy vocals floating over his Jimmy Reed-styled electric guitar rhythms while twin saxes wailed and drummer Al Gavin struggled to find the beat, all of which congealed into a unique spin on the Chicago blues sound. The recordings on this collection, however, recorded for Joe Brown's J.O.B. label between 1951 and 1954, have a sparser feel, generally just Lenoir's vocals and guitar, with Sunnyland Slim on piano and Alfred Wallace at the drum kit. The Reed influence is even more obvious on these tracks (check out "How Much More," which could be a parody of Reed, except it isn't). And the writing, always a strong point for Lenoir, whose intelligent street politics and balanced view of male/female relationships put him well ahead of the curve for blues lyrics, falls into cliché here more than it doesn't. With the exception of the striking "I Say Um the Way I Feel," there are no songs on this anthology that reach the lyrical levels of "Eisenhower Blues," "Korea Blues," "Mama Talk to Your Daughter," or any of the other fine compositions he recorded for the Chess and Parrot labels. The sound quality is also sort of muffled, giving these tracks a bootleg feel. All of this adds up to the reason why this release shouldn't be your introduction to this unique bluesman's work. Don't be scared off, though, because these half-formed, unassuming songs do grow on you, if only because of the singer's conviction. Later in his career Lenoir would find the right words to match that conviction. Try Vietnam Blues on Evidence first, and then circle back for this one.