Jimmy Reed - Just Jimmy Reed (Remastered 2021) [Hi-Res]

First off if you don’t know, this has to be the most underrated album of all time, by any artist. It is probably neglected since it came out two years after ‘Best of’ which has his most famous songs. Of all the classic albums ever, this has to be the most ‘adult’. I’ve often said this is a religious album, since this 36 year old man is clearly on a mission from God. From the first song where he sings “if there is something about my lovin’ that don’t please you, tell me, oh tell me and I’ll change that too”, the next where he sings “you know my baby told me,
she said better listen, you better come on home to me baby you don’t know what your missin’” to ‘Good Lover’,the single, where he sings “I ain’t got no mansion, no diamond ring, big fine car, I don’t have a thing. But I’m a natural born lover, yea, I’m a real good lover..now tell me baby, which one of us would you rather?”…I could go on…but you are better off listening yourself. There is never a doubt what is on this man’s mind…from the black and pink cover (like roast beef, black on the outside, pink on the inside:) to the non-stop suggestive lyrics…
Al Campbell:
Just Jimmy Reed was originally released in 1962 on Vee-Jay Records and reissued by Collectables in 2000. This short ten-track set doesn't include any of Reed's most beloved hits ("Oh John" being the closest), but it does highlight material that could have been. Reed's patented swamp blues guitar and harmonica lines mixed with his uniquely lazy vocal style are in the forefront of tunes like "Let's Get Together," "Kansas City Baby," "In the Morning," and "Good Lover." There are some unusual touches -- the album opens up with the strangely offbeat, organ-dominated and trumpet- and sax-ornamented "I'll Change My Style"; and Mama Reed shows up on backing vocals on "Take It Slow," adding some variety to the singing. Jimmy Reed, Jr., who was increasingly being featured at the elder Reed's shows, is present on guitar on two tracks and on bass elsewhere. And instead of Eddie Taylor, who played on most of Reed's classic sides, much of the guitar here is played by Lefty Bates. But despite this difference, the best of the material on Just Jimmy Reed -- which is most of the contents -- could easily have qualified for placement on Reed's indispensable first two albums.