eilen jewell and her wonderful band are at it again, this time delivering a compilation of blues standards that they spin in their own special way. even though she is often categorized in the country/folk/americana world, she has a vocal style that has more of a jazz/torch singer quality. sort of a billie holiday or madeleine peyroux cross with loretta lynn. which i really dig. an excellent songwriter in her own right, she foregoes that part of her talent here to cover classic blues offerings from the likes of willie dixon, otis rush, little walter and howlin’ wolf, to name a few. instead of trying to be something she’s not, she uses the blues idiom and structures and employs her usual vocalizations. on top of that, she lets the band do their usual twangy honky tonk accompaniment. i have often felt that her guitarist jerry miller should almost get equal billing, as he is that good. on this one he really shines, and the blues leanings give him an opportunity to add some really nasty riffs. everyone else is more than up to task here, and the whole thing really clicks and grooves.