Far from being an actual "best of,"
The Very Best of Lightin' Hopkins comes off as being a largely nonessential purchase -- many classic songs are absent and there's a lack of detailed liner notes to even denote which period the tracks are taken from. That's not to say the material selected isn't consistently engaging, with tunes like "Trouble in Mind," "Shaggy Dad," and the classic "See See Rider" being standouts among the 16 tracks. Contributions from
Luke "Long Gone" Miles,
Big Joe Williams,
Brownie McGhee, and
Sonny Terry highlight the collection as well. Most of the tracks, though, sound like alternate takes from other
Hopkins sessions and some of the live tracks included are far from essential. Overall, there are bound to be better compilations on the market for similar prices.