Various Artists - R&B On Lakewood Boulevard

Facts This new compilation brings the fabulous voice of Little Johnny Taylor, just prior to his great Galaxy hit run, including early workouts of some of those hits; some seldom-heard T-Bone Walker Jr.; and some fine harp playing from Ace Holder, plus many unreleased tracks. Our friend from a previous collection, Jessie Hill, makes a welcome re-appearance too. There's even a splash of doo wop. The Downey vaults excavation continues to bring straight-from-the-masters quality, and in doing it, we are still discovering that the released sides (and the two or three hits on the label) were only a small part of the Downey story!