Including some of
Jimmy Witherspoon's finest performances, the
Definitive Black & Blue Sessions is a handsomely compiled 14-track set of
Witherspoon's tenure with bandleader Panama Francis. Often neglected in the artist's impressive body of work, the release of this disc calls for a reappraisal. Although nearing the end of his career,
Witherspoon is in fine voice, and his work on "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child," in particular, is astonishing. Panama Francis' Savoy Sultans provide fine musical accompaniment, intuitively knowing when to hold back and when to dominate. As befits such great music, the disc is handsomely annotated and packaged. ~ Thomas Ward