Dinah Washington singing the blues is one of the most life-affirming sounds in music, and this reissue from Poll Winners Records is a must-have for any devotees of the ‘Queen of the Blues’. Backed by an orchestra arranged and conducted by Fred Norman – with the exception of a brace of songs, ‘It's A Mean Old Man's World’ and ‘No Hard Feelings’, arranged and conducted by Don Costa – Washington is in extraordinarily fine voice. Highlights include Perry Bradford's ‘You've Been A Good Old Wagon’, featuring a fine solo from guitarist Billy Butler, Big Bill Broonzy's ‘Key To The Highway’, plus ‘Nobody Knows The Way I Feel This Morning’, an almost nine-minute epic of woe. Complete with 11 bonus tracks from the same session that weren't included on the original album, including an alternate take on the self-penned ‘If I Never Get To Heaven’ and a heart-rending ‘Don't Say Nothing At All’, this is one of the brightest jewels in the Washington discography.