From Georgia to Chicago: 1931-1937

The music of Amos Easton (Bumble Bee Slim) provides a neat bridge between Southern country blues and the urban Chicago-style blues that featured tight, propulsive combos. Slim wasn't as edgy as Big Bill Broonzy, say, or Muddy Waters, but he was every bit a modernist, allowing his easy, laconic vocal style to bring tremendous warmth, humor, and personality to his material. This two-disc set has some of the essentials like "No Woman No Nickel" and the delightfully goofy "Greasy Greens," but it lacks too many other key sides like "Everybody's Fishing," "Bricks in My Pillow," "When the Music's Good" and "The Death of Leroy Carr" to be an ideal introduction to this charming bluesman, but it has enough solid tracks to make it an acceptable supplemental choice. Serious listeners may want to invest in the nine-disc Complete Recorded Works from Document Records.