Customer Rating: 
Summary: Masterpiece - nothing else in blues quite like this
Comment: I've just bought this CD for the 4th time - along with Jack Dupree's "Blues From The Gutter", it's the one I give away when I really want to give, and turn someone on to the blues.
It contains JBs last 2 albums before his untimely death in 1967, and represents the full flowering of his groundbreaking African Hunch style. JB was a popular Chicago electric blues musician who gradually evolved a new acoustic sound - syncretising a lot of what had come before, from gritty Delta guitar to barrelhouse-piano style syncopation, and more than a touch of gospel - but sounding fresh and modern; he was moving forwards not back. Sadly this style seems to have died with him; the world has not caught up yet.
All tracks have JB on acoustic guitar and vocals (those words hardly doing justice to what he does with them); many with Freddie Below on drums (inventor of Rock & Roll no matter what anyone else says); and a few with Willie Dixon's atmospheric growling on backup vocal (Willie also produced).
There's nothing else quite like this, though JB's 50's and early 60's Chicago recordings gave some hints of what was to come (a couple of his 50's hits are reworked here). The guitar work is simple yet complex, highly syncopated; the voice a flexible instrument, and the songs are just extraordinary - power and subtlety, tears and laughter, protest and acceptance, folk tales and modern living.
I can't really explain it in words, just listen to some of the samples, bearing in mind the the whole experience is so much more so - at least hear "Alabama", "Mojo Boogie", "Move This Rope", "I Feel So Good", "Good Advice", "Vietnam", "Down In Mississippi", "Voodoo Music", and especially "Born Dead" and "Feelin' Good" ... heck, just get the album! What a trip it is - hearing this for the first time is like hearing Robert Johnson for the first time...
Customer Rating: 
Summary: sensational discovery
Comment: I knew Lenoir from Scorcesse's films "Blues History" . Hia social interests captivated me so much.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A great reissue of the brilliant work of a neglected master
Comment: Most hardcore blues fans know of J.B.Lenoir, but if you're unfamiliar with him then this CD will be a revelation. He is a unique stylist, master guitar player, and profound lyricist. His singing is powerful, idiosyncratic and full of conviction.
The cuts on this disc have been remastered beautifully, are full of depth and clarity. They represent the broad range of Lenoir's music, from biting social and political songs, through rocking dance numbers, to pieces in a more gospel or spiritual vein. Many of the songs foreground Lenoir's signature "African hunch" polyrhythm, a style as unique to J.B. as the "Bo Diddley beat" is to, well, Bo Diddley.
If you can only get one Lenoir CD, get this one. You'll love it and it'll compel you to get everything available.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The Heart and Soul of Blues
Comment: This CD is priceless. It is a ticket into another world. The amazing talent & raw heartfelt emotion of J.B. pours out of these songs and takes the listener on a journey. It is political, it's religious, it's sexual, it's unjust defeat, it's resurrection and it's definitely groovin. This is a glimpse into the heart and soul of a black man who lived and died during civil rights movement in the south. This CD gives the listener more than just great music, it serves up human feelings, the composition of life, and that's what the blues is all about.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A jewel unearthed
Comment: I've only listened to the five excerpts from this CD, in addition to what portions I have heard on Scorsese's documentary, and I can tell you, this man's a genius. His sounds are pure and full of vitality after forty-plus years. He is unique and original; Lenoir's guitar work is rooted in Delta/acoustic guitar blues traditions, yet, in his riffs and songwriting, he displays the savvy hooks and songwriting skills of a contemporary pop tunesmith. Above all, J.B. is laid-back and downright cool--one can't help but sway, bump, and grind, to his swinging rhythms. I hope his relatives, if they are still with us, are getting a significant portion of these royalties. This man was, and is, an American Blues treasure!P.S. Mayall's song "The death of J.B. Lenoir" is also great; Lenoir seemed to "produce" great music even after his death! We are blessed for being able to hear, and to see (thanks to this new documentary) his incredible gifts after all these years!
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