Jewel Records was founded by Stan Lewis in 1963, and the company became something of a life raft for artists whose contracts with older companies had ended -- thus,
Willie Dixon,
Frank Frost,
Lightnin' Hopkins,
Lowell Fulson,
Big Joe Turner, and other internationally known names brushed up against more localized talent such as the Carter Brothers and a mysterious figure named
Big Mac. This disc is the first in a series of releases highlighting Lewis' blues recordings, which tended toward extrovert electric blues. All of the artists are in good form, if not the top of their game, including Fulson who sings with a graceful soulfulness, while Turner provides the kind of lean, big-band-based R&B on which he built his reputation, slimmed down slightly for '60s sensibilities. The strangest track here is "Rough Dried Woman" parts one and two, featuring
Hubert Sumlin on guitar and
Big Mac on vocals. Mac, whoever he was, obviously thought he was
Howlin' Wolf, even though his voice lacked the depth and power of Wolf's pipes. He tries hard, however, and Sumlin pitches in with a flashy, crunchy performance behind him (and is featured throughout the instrumental second half in one of his best recorded performances). Also, be warned that
Kenny Wayne Shepherd, then 16 years old, redubbed the guitar part on
Willie Dixon's "Sex Appeal" -- that kid knows his blues, even if his playing is a little flashier than would've been the case circa 1960-whatever, and Dixon gives one of his more charismatic vocal performances. The sound needs no apologies, nor does the series, which is first-rate and starts off really well with this disc. ~ Bruce Eder