Although you could never actually mistake one for the other, the similarity between Mildred Bailey and the young Billie Holiday is sometimes quite striking. Certainly, they were the two most instinctively swinging female vocalists of the 1930s. Mildred was also one of biggest radio stars of the decade, and recorded prolifically. Sadly, she died in 1951, too early to benefit from the golden age of American song was just dawning, with the advent of LP records. These 20 tracks provide an attractive introduction to her light, unassertive voice and briskly elegant phrasing. Her choice of material was adventurous and her taste always impeccable. Among the songs included here are Ellington's gorgeous "All Too Soon", Alec Wilder's "It's So Peaceful In The Country" and Fats Waller's "Squeeze Me". Inevitably, there is one of many versions of her signature tune, Hoagy Carmichael's "Rockin' Chair", which she sings with just the right mixture of melancholy and humour. -Dave Gelly.

Overall an uneven album, In Concert's highest moments are sublime. The collection is culled from concerts with Big Brother and the Holding Company and Full Tilt Boogie. "All Is Loneliness," with Big Brother, was an improvisational vehicle for Joplin unlike any other, and no other performance of this tune, which conveys a terrifying loneliness, is even remotely similar. The version here was recorded at a 1970 reunion with Big Brother, and Joplin at one point-"There ain't no TV, no radio, no nothin', man"-simply rips your heart out. We're also treated to the impromptu 12-bar blues of "Ego Rock," wherein Nick Gravenites and Joplin toss blues lines back and forth in an affectionate but competitive repartee. Joplin was looped during the outdoor gigs with Full Tilt. A lot of tequila went down the hatch on the festival train that puffed its way across Canada in July of 1970. It was four months before Joplin died, and her Calgary performance of "Ball and Chain" is inspired, brilliant, drunk, uncanny, and frightening. It's like work from the other side. -Myra Friedman.

On Without Warning, young Canadian blueswoman Sue Foley puts together the complete package: guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Her driving, syncopated guitar grooves are as vigorous as ever, but her tender, ingratiating voice has come forward in the mix as a crucial asset and her own compositions have increased from three out of 11 on her first album to eight out of 13 on this follow-up. Backed by her road rhythm section, Foley plays six of the cuts as a guitar trio, shifting with impressive authority between rhythm riffs and single-note leads. Even when joined by ex-Blaster pianist Gene Taylor, Austin organist Riley Osbourn, or duet singer Angela Strehli, Foley dominates the proceedings with a confidence that belies her outsider status as a young woman in an old man's game. -Geoffrey Himes On Without Warning, young Canadian blueswoman Sue Foley puts together the complete package: guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Her driving, syncopated guitar grooves are as vigorous as ever, but her tender, ingratiating voice has come forward in the mix as a crucial asset and her own compositions have increased from three out of 11 on her first album to eight out of 13 on this follow-up. Backed by her road rhythm section, Foley plays six of the cuts as a guitar trio, shifting with impressive authority between rhythm riffs and single-note leads. Even when joined by ex-Blaster pianist Gene Taylor, Austin organist Riley Osbourn, or duet singer Angela Strehli, Foley dominates the proceedings with a confidence that belies her outsider status as a young woman in an old man's game. -Geoffrey Himes.