"Fantasy's Original Blues Classics" ("OBC") series isn't as vast as the company's "Original Jazz Classics" ("OJC") series. Nonetheless, Fantasy does own an impressive amount of blues recordings, including the catalog of Prestige's Bluesville subsidiary. The Prestige: Bluesville Sampler, which Fantasy put together in 2002, isn't strictly an album of Bluesville recordings: Fantasy also draws from the Stax, Riverside, Takoma, Specialty, and Pablo catalogs. And the end result is an impressively diverse compilation -- one that spans the years from 1925-1972 and contains a wide variety of material (much of it excellent). The people who will get the most enjoyment from this sampler are those who are open to many different blues styles. The disc ranges from jazz-influenced classic blues -- including Ma Rainey's 1925 recording of "Chain Gang Blues," and Alberta Hunter's 1961 performance of W.C. Handy's "St. Louis Blues," to the electric Chicago blues of Otis Spann's "The Blues Never Die" (1964), Willie Dixon's "Good Understanding" (1959), and Muddy Waters' "Honey Bee." The latter isn't Waters' original 1951 studio recording of "Honey Bee," but rather, an inspired live version from 1972. Next to "Chain Gang Blues," the CD's oldest recording is Blind Lemon Jefferson's 1927 performance of "Lonesome House Blues," which comes right before Lightnin' Hopkins' "Got to Move Your Baby" (1960). And having Jefferson and Hopkins side by side is quite appropriate because both were part of Texas blues style, although Jefferson (one of Hopkins' influences) gained popularity before World War II, while Hopkins became popular afterwards. Meanwhile, Jimmy McCracklin's "Yesterday Is Gone" and Little Milton's "If That Ain't a Reason" aren't really blues -- they're classic soul. But then, one hears so much classic soul at blues festivals these days that those two Stax recordings manage to fit in on this unpredictable and consistently enjoyable sampler. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide