This 1996 CD reissue reissues all of the music from the LP of the same name and half of the music from Blame It on the Blues.
Carol Leigh, one of the finest classic jazz singers to emerge during the 1970s, is heard on a dozen selections with a top-notch Dixieland-oriented band also including cornetist Ernie Carson, trombonist Charlie Bornemann, clarinetist John Otto, pianist
Knocky Parker, banjoist Bill Rutan, Shorty Johnson on tuba and drummer Hal Smith. Although a large portion of the numbers are blues in the style of
Bessie Smith,
Leigh already at this early point had her own approach, being creative within the 1920s idiom. Highlights of the date include "I Ain't Gonna Play No Second Fiddle," "Gulf Coast Blues" and "You've Got the Right Key, But the Wrong Key Hole." The other session finds
Leigh joined by just pianist Ray Skjelbred and the erratic clarinetist Bob Helm for six songs including "I've Got What It Takes" and "Nobody's Fault But Mine." Although Helm's playing is on and off,
Leigh's sidemen otherwise sound excellent, and the singer is heard throughout in prime form. ~ Scott Yanow