Best of Louis Jordan
With 20 originals from Louis Jordan's '40s and early '50s heyday atDecca Records,Best Ofis the definitive collection of the blues-jazz bandleader-singer's work. Most of the cuts are up-tempo jumpers with lyrics that tell sly tales of the black experience in midcentury: the house-partiers in "Saturday Night Fish Fry" end up in the slam, while the institution of marriage occasions a warning in "Beware."  Jordan also dabbled in Latin and Brazilian rhythms on "Run Joe" and "Early in the Morning," and even added a major ballad, "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin'," to the standard repertoire. A major influence onRay Charles,James Brown, andChuck Berry, Jordan is a must-hear.--Rickey Wright