Judy Henske

On this live LP, Henske, as she would throughout most of her career, eludes easy categorization. There's barrelhouse blues with a touch of Broadway belting, there's Dixielandish jazz, there are folk standards, and there's plenty of standup comedy between the songs. The husky, almost raunchy voice makes most of this worth hearing; one is tempted to describe her as one of the great White blues singers, except that there's a theatrical quality to much of her delivery that originates from pop traditions. She's at her best when she eschews the jivey jazz for a more straight folk-blues approach (on "Wade in the Water," "I Know You Rider," and "Love Henry"). ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide