Joe Houston
was one of the most popular honking tenors of the early R&B period. Twenty-two of his hottest recordings (all but one from 1949-1955) are reissued on this rollicking and fun CD. The music is pretty basic, with titles such as
"Rockin' N Boppin',"
"Earthquake,"
"Hurricane,"
"Rock That Boogie,"
and
"Goofin'"
living up to their names. Many of the songs are based on
"Flying Home"
(which is also included, along with
"Walking Home"
) or the blues, and
Houston
's playing is repetitive and usually pretty obvious. But despite that, the honks, roars, and screams are quite fun! ~ Scott Yanow