Littlefield
's stint with
Federal
was brief (1952-1954), and not nearly as commercially successful as his time with
Modern
prior to that. Nonetheless he did a good amount of recording in that period, from which 19 tracks emerged to form this CD retrospective of his
years. It, together with
Ace
's slightly more extensive overview of
's
era,
Kat on the Keys
, forms a satisfying document of his most productive years. The
stuff is a little more well-known, and though it's a close call as to which disc is better (not that you can't get both), the nod might go to
Going Back to Kay Cee
by a whisker, if only for the inclusion of
's most famous recording, the 1953 single
"K.C. Lovin'."
This is the original model for the song that would be adapted into
Wilbert Harrison
's number one hit
"Kansas City"
and become a rock standard. Of course
wanted to milk that cow as much as it could, which is why a take of
"K.C. Lovin'"
was overdubbed with rockier instrumentation and retitled
on a 1959 single. That
single (which is actually not at all bad) is here too, along with a few
soundalikes. Actually, however, this is a pretty strong and (for the early-'50s piano blues genre) a fairly diverse set, including a couple of vocal duets with
Little Esther
and one with
Lil Greenwood
; some effectively brooding, but not dragging, blues such as
"Blood Is Redder Than Wine"
; and the strikingly unusual
"(Please Don't Go) O-O-O-Oh,"
where
adopts an effective and unique gargling vocal style.
's vocals are wise and aged beyond his years, and his piano playing is fine throughout; the instrumental showcase for his boogie
"Jim Wilson's Boogie"
is superb. ~ Richie Unterberger