It is very hard to overestimate the importance of
Lucille Bogan's recordings to the genre of female blues. Her blunt, charismatic lyrics dealt with issues honestly, going against the grain of the typical sugarcoated female singers of the time. From her hilariously pornographic "Shave 'Em Dry" to her many songs about the trials and tribulations of adult womanhood ("Baking Powder Blues," "Pig Iron Sally"), she paved the way for a more honest, emotional release in the genre that only men had really explored before her. Most of these tracks were recorded under the name
Bessie Jackson, and several of them feature frequent collaborator
Walter Roland. The songs are definitely a bit dated, and the sound quality varies from average to bad from track to track, but as a historical document of one woman's brilliant career as a lyricist, it is hard to beat
Reckless Woman: 1927-1935.