An exhaustive five-disc survey of Detroit's legendary Hank Ballard & the Midnighters, NOTHING BUT GOOD 1952-62 offers an impressively comprehensive glimpse into the roots of postwar rhythm and blues. Originally led by Houston born guitarist Cal Green, the group began life on the Federal label under the name the Royals, before the national exposure granted them by their first hit, the colossal "Work With Me Annie," forced them to change their name to in deference to the popular vocal group the Five Royales. Green's coruscating lead work can be heard on tracks like "Finger Popping Time" and the frantic "Let `Em Roll" while Hank Ballard's impassioned vocals had an enormous influence on the musical development of James Brown, who initially modeled himself after the singer.

Blowing the Fuse is a killer series of compilation CDs issued by Germany's premier archivist label, Bear Family. Subtitled "R&B Classics That Rocked the Jukebox," each volume is compiled by year. 1954 was a boom year for jukeboxes across the United States as rhythm & blues and rock & roll maintained their collision course. This volume contains 29 affirmed classics of the early postwar years. The more well-known tunes of the era are given great balance by some nearly forgotten gems that are juxtaposed in the brilliant sequencing -- by producer Dave "Daddy Cool" Booth. Highlights from this volume are the Spiders' "I Didn't Want to Do It," the Cadillacs' "Gloria," the Chords' "Sh-Boom," Ray Charles' "It Should Have Been Me," and Dave Bartholomew's "Jump Children." The package is beautiful with Colin Escott's liner notes detailing every cut, accompanied by photographs and a lovely digipack. Sound quality is as good as it can be for archival material, making this a fine introduction to postwar R&B for the novice and a killer chronological listen for the connoisseur. ~ Thom Jurek