Ethel Waters (born in 1896) was a key influence on American pop vocals in the 1920s and 30s, well-documented in this three-CD set.

Once you’re familiar with her style, you can hear traces in numerous contemporaries and even in the early Billie Holiday, before the latter concentrated on her own approach. Waters’ subsequent work as an actress, and later as supporter of right-wing evangelist Billy Graham, may have helped to diminish her overall reputation; but, when you concentrate on the actual vocals, they’re hugely compelling. Rhythmically alert and often subtle, including impressive early examples of scat, she soon moved away from her potential 1920s typecasting as a blues specialist, and it's no wonder she recorded so many songs that became standards.

The 70 tracks here go from nine early sides for the legendary Black Swan company to a variety of major labels that wanted a piece of her action. Considerably varied accompaniments range from the turgid (especially early on) to the groovy (yet still dated), and from the minimal (a great duet) to the overbearing (a square choir). As she became widely celebrated, she was often backed on disc by white studio stalwarts, even if still billed as ‘her Ebony Four’, but the singing is remarkably consistent.