Jimmy Smith recorded for Blue Note so frequently during the late '50s that many of his sessions remained unreleased for years. The music that comprises
Lonesome Road sat in the vaults for years, until the Japanese division of Blue Note released the album in the '80s. Since
Smith had so many albums on the market, it's understandable that Blue Note wanted to limit the number of records they released from him, but the music on
Lonesome Road is almost as fine as that on
The Sermon or Groovin' at Small's Paradise.
Smith, guitarist
Eddie McFadden and drummer
Donald Bailey play a selection of eight standards, but the songs don't sound stale; they sound fresh and alive. A few of the ballads are a little slow and treacly, but many of the numbers cook, with a couple of the songs featuring
Smith at his hottest. It doesn't have the mastery he would later demonstrate on
Back at the Chicken Shack, nor is it quite as consistent as
The Sermon, but
Lonesome Road is worthwhile for any fan of
Smith. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine