AMG Review of Complete Recorded Works (1925-1932), Vol. 5: 1929-1930

Scott Yanow
All Music Guide

Lonnie Johnson straddled the boundaries between blues and jazz during the 1927-1930 period before deciding to stick to the former. This 22-song collection features five guitar duets with Eddie Lang (including "Bull Frog Moan" and "Hot Fingers"), vocal duets with Spencer Williams (including "It Feels So Good Parts 3 and 4" and "Once or Twice"), Victoria Spivey (the two-part "You Done Lost Your Good Thing Now") and Clarence Williams ("Wipe It Off"), and such blues numbers as "From Now on Make Your Whoopee at Home," "She's Making Whoopee in Hell Tonight," and "Another Woman Booked Out and Bound to Go." Lonnie Johnson at his best.