Alberta Hunter

Alberta Hunter's first recordings were in 1921. By the time this 1978 album was cut, the pioneering blues singer had recorded in six different decades. Although Hunter is 83 years old here, she sings with a surprising snappiness, and the songs -- which cross up blues, jazz and R&B -- sound anything but old, thanks to her hot backing band.

After the bland Remember My Name soundtrack, John Hammond's gem is a blessing--it would have been tragic if the rebirth of this eighty-five-year-old wonder of nature and history, easily the most authoritative classic blues singer alive, had been documented only in print. A hot rhythm section, anchored by pianist Gerald Cook and jazzed up by hornmen Vic Dickenson, Doc Cheatham, and Frank Wess, pitch in with undeniable verve on material from "The Darktown Strutters' Ball" to "Always" to several worthy Hunter originals. Timing and intonation are as savvy as you'd figure, and though the voice isn't quite as full as it must have been, it packs an amazing wallop--when Hunter gloats about getting her butter churned, the memory sounds quite fresh, like maybe the dairy man poked his head in that morning. More good news--she'll be back in the studio with Hammond soon. (Grade - A)