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.

Her self-titled debut, containing songs recorded from 1965 through 1969, shows Koko Taylor's brash, gut-deep vocal style already well established; it's a voice that's made her the queen of Chicago blues. Produced by Willie Dixon, who (unsurprisingly) wrote several of the songs here (including Taylor's signature hit, "Wang Dang Doodle") and contributes backing vocals and bass work, Koko Taylor is an excellent representation of Taylor's years at the prestigious Chess label. While not as comprehensive as What It Takes: The Chess Years, the album includes much of Taylor's classic work: the aforementioned "Doodle," the extremely sexy "I Love a Lover Like You," the solid-as-a-brick-wall "I'm a Little Mixed Up," and the hilariously funny "Twenty-Nine Ways. " Taylor had some great sidemen for these sessions, too: Buddy Guy, Johnny Shines, Walter Horton, and Sunnyland Slim all make appearances. -Genevieve Williams.

A slightly flawed collection drawn from the three-CD box set Janis, this still isn't a bad introduction to Haight-Ashbury's favourite blues shrieker. Skimming Cheap Thrills, Kosmic Blues, and Pearl, the disc catches some of Joplin's most stunning moments. In acknowledging the "rarities" aspect of the box, however, Essential occasionally goes wrong; the acoustic demo version of "Me and Bobby McGee" is incredibly touching, but a strange choice if there's room for only one. The must-have version remains the full-blown take heard on Pearl and Janis Joplin's Greatest Hits. That there's enough interest in Janis remaining to justify a set like this one is heartening, though. -Rickey Wright.

Koko Taylor is something of a deluxe edition herself: with a Cadillac of a voice that rumbles the earth and rattles the glassware, she reigns as the undisputed empress of the blues. Deluxe Edition, a retrospective of 15 years with Alligator Records, may not include such classics as "I Got What It Takes" and Willie Dixon's "Twenty-Nine Ways", but it does have "I'm a Woman", Taylor's answer to Muddy Waters, just to kick things off. Other highlights include "Born Under a Bad Sign"-a duet with Buddy Guy, of course. Much of Taylor's work in the 1970s included such duets, and here can also be found Carey Bell (on "Mother Nature"), Pinetop Perkins (on "Hey Bartender"), and B B King (on "Blues Hotel"). It goes without saying that everything on Deluxe Edition brims with Taylor's trademark attitude, the sass and toughness for which she's well known. Yet Taylor is capable of astonishing tenderness as well, as is borne out by "I'd Rather Go Blind" and "Time Will Tell". Though this collection boasts only one obligatory previously unreleased track, it's a doozy: "Man Size Job", simply put, kicks butt. Looks like Taylor's reign is in no danger whatsoever. -Genevieve Williams.

Dubbed the "Uncrowned Queen of the Blues," Ida Cox was a bit past her prime when she recorded the songs that appear on Blues for Rampart Street in 1961. But her voice still had the richness and expression that had made Cox a star in her younger days, and this collection remains one of the best examples of her work. Songs like "Wild Women Don't Have the Blues" reveal the tough-minded disposition that was one of Cox's hallmarks; she had more control over her career than most female vocalists have today and wrote most of her own material. Blues for Rampart Street also includes strong takes on classics like "St. Louis Blues" and "Death Letter Blues," with able assistance from Coleman Hawkins. -Genevieve Williams.

This belated collection of Janis Joplin with Big Brother and the Holding Company tracks features 14 performances, a dozen of which debut here. Of the two familiar selections, the version of "Ball and Chain" here is the same one that graces Cheap Thrills, and "Bye Bye Baby" can be heard on In Concert. No matter if it's not quite the definitive Big Brother album; it is nonetheless a hell of a lot of fun. Big Brother's playing is intense and relatively tight. A magnificent moment is heard in "I Need a Man to Love" when Joplin urges the band on. "C'mon boys, play," she prods, and a stunning Sam Andrews guitar solo ensues. If you've never heard Joplin do "Summertime," grab this album. If you have, grab it anyway. It's wonderful. -Myra Friedman.