The fifth and final volume in Document's series begins with a mid-1940 studio date,
Memphis Minnie's first in over a year; recorded with Little Son Joe on second guitar, these simple, unaffected sides are among her strongest, with tracks like "Ma Rainey" (a tribute to the recently deceased blues great) and "Nothing in Rambling" brimming with confidence and inspiration. Her final pre-war session, recorded late in 1941, closes out the set; performing on amplified guitar, Minnie's music adopts a relatively urbanized sound on tracks like the superb "I Am Sailin'" and "Don't Turn the Card," precipitating the Chicago blues of the postwar era. ~ Jason Ankeny