Hear My Blues

Hear My Blues
Studio album by Al Smith
Released	1960
Recorded	September 20, 1959
Studio	Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ
Genre	Jazz
Length	32:35
Label	Bluesville BVLP 1001
Producer	Esmond Edwards
Al Smith chronology
Hear My Blues (1960) Midnight Special (1961)
Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis chronology
Jaws in Orbit (1959) Hear My Blues (1960) The Red Garland Trio + Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis (1960)

Hear My Blues (subtitled Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis Showcases Al Smith) is the debut album by jazz/blues vocalist Al Smith featuring saxophonist Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis' working group with organist Shirley Scott recorded in 1959 and becoming the first release on the Bluesville label.^[1][2][3] The album was reissued as Blues Shout! under Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis's name on Prestige in 1964.^[4]

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[5]
DownBeat	[6]

AllMusic reviewer Alex Henderson stated: "Both of Smith's Bluesville albums are well worth owning, but if you had to pick one of the two, Hear My Blues would the best starting point".^[5]

Track listing

All compositions by Al Smith except where noted

1. "Night Time Is the Right Time" (Unknown) – 4:16
2. "Pledging My Love" (Don Robey, Ferdinand Washington) – 2:28
3. "I've Got a Girl" – 4:32
4. "I'll Be Alright" – 3:51
5. "Come On, Pretty Baby" – 2:55
6. "Tears in My Eyes" – 5:58
7. "Never Let Me Go" (Joe Scott) – 5:11
8. "I've Got the Right Kind of Lovin'" – 3:24

Personnel

• Al Smith – vocals
• Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis – tenor saxophone
• Shirley Scott – organ
• Wendell Marshall – bass
• Arthur Edgehill – drums

References

1. Prestige Records Catalog: Bluesville 1000 series, accessed October 31, 2018
2. Payne, D. Shirley Scott discography accessed October 31, 2018
3. Both Sides Now: Prestige/Bluesville Album Discography accessed October 31, 2018
4. Discogs: album entry, accessed October 31, 2018
5. Henderson, Alex. Al Smith: Hear My Blues – Review at AllMusic. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
6. DeMichael, Don (April 28, 1960). "Al Smith: Hear My Blues". DownBeat. Vol. 27, no. 9. pp. 47–48.