The first high-profile single-disc compilation of the great
Ella Mae Morse
since 1992's
Capitol Collectors Series
-- which itself was the first time her recordings were reissued in years --
Bear Family
's 2010 disc
Rocks
trumps its predecessor by a country mile, offering 34 tracks cut between 1942 and 1957. This is a far greater time span than
, which sampled her ahead-of-their time sides of the '40s, and it has a distinct focus on her rocking sides, trimming away numbers that might wind up sounding a bit too much like standard big-band fare. Ironically, the sides she cut during rock & roll's '50s heyday sound closer to big band than the wild jump blues she cut in the '40s, but ultimately, such distinctions are little more than talking points because what's here is dynamite, and some of the rockingist blues and jumpingist rock you'll ever hear. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine