The good-time blues and hokum singer Lil Johnson sounds typically exuberant and full of double-entendres on the 24 selections heard on this second of three CDs of her complete work. Accompanied by combos that sometimes include clarinetist Arnett Nelson, Lee Collins, or Alfred Bell on trumpet, usually pianist Black Bob, Bill Settles or John Lindsay on bass, and occasional guest guitarist Big Bill Broonzy, along with other unknown musicians, Johnson sometimes goes a bit over the line in her sexual innuendoes, which is why the two versions of “My Baby (Squeeze Me Again)” were never released previously. The music may overall be limited in subject matter and chord structures, but it is consistently fun and spirited. – Scott Yanow
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