Howlin' Wolf Bluesmaster

Bargain Audio CDs & Priceless Collection (series)

Personnel includes: Howlin' Wolf, Gene Bauge, Hubert Sumlin, Phil Upchurch.

Producers: Leonard Chess, Phil Chess, Willie Dixon, Marshall Chess, Norman Dayron.

Compilation producer: Carl Michelakos.

Personnel: Howlin' Wolf (vocals, guitar).

Howlin' Wolf was certainly a master of the blues, and MCA Special Products' Bluesmaster, thankfully, does offer some evidence proving why that's an acknowledged fact, not simply a matter of opinion. Granted, a ten-track budget-line collection could hardly be called definitive, but this collection is nevertheless a good sampler, largely because it relies on classic Chess material. Many great songs are missing, but a handful are here ("I Asked for Water," "How Many More Years," "Change My Way," "Moanin' at Midnight," "Evil"), along with several lesser-known but very good songs ("Who Will Be Next?," "My Mind is Ramblin'," "Highway 49," "Poor Boy," "Worried About My Baby"). It's certainly not a definitive collection, but it's a strong, varied sampling of Howlin' Wolf in his prime, which may make it of interest to curious listeners on a budget. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine