Wanda Jackson - Honey Bop (The Ultimate Collection) (2022)

Wanda Jackson enjoyed a long and successful career singing country and gospel material, but her most ardent fans celebrate her as the Queen of Rockabilly, one of the first women who found fame singing rock & roll and among the most powerful voices the music ever produced. Jackson sang with a passion, fire, and spirit that set her apart from most female vocalists of the day, and tunes like "Hot Dog! That Made Him Mad," "Fujiyama Mama," and "Let's Have a Party" showed she was as forceful as any of rock & roll's male stars. She would enjoy more lasting success when she shifted to country sounds in the early 1960s, and her C&W and later gospel sides would reveal a warmth and emotional depth that left no doubt she was a major talent. 1960's Rockin' with Wanda! is a superb set of rockabilly and early rock performances, 2006's The Very Best of the Country Years is a well-curated sampling of her C&W period, 1972's Praise the Lord was one of the first and strongest of her spiritual efforts, and 2021's Encore showed that she was still full of fire at the age of 83.