Mixed in amongst the tracks recorded for this disc are older recordings taken from some live gigs with Walter Horton on harmonica in the seventies, a couple with Michael Frank sharing the stage with Honeyboy, and two from those Alan Lomax sessions back in 1942. The first time I listened to the disc, I didn't have the cover in front of me, so wasn't aware of the particulars of each track.  While there are some obvious difference in sound quality between the tracks recorded in 1942 and the ones recorded in 2007, I defy anybody to date them by the sound of Honeyboy's voice or the quality of the music.

"Crawling Kingsnake" was recorded in September of 2007, "Jump Out" in 1975, and "Army Blues" in 1942, and each one features a strong voiced, impassioned singing, and high energy performance from David Honeyboy Edwards. Whether he's performing solo with his guitar like he did in 1942, or matching note for note with a harmonica in 2007 the man is an incredible performer. At ninety-two years of age, which he was in the fall of 2007, he had more get up and go in his performance than most guys even one third his age seem to be able to generate.

Of course, the stuff that make his performance so remarkable is the very stuff that's been working against blues music ever gaining widespread popularity. It's full of raw, honest emotion without any compromise. He sings directly from the heart at all times and makes you truly understand what the word soul means when talked about in terms of music. Hearing his rough hewn voice accompanied by the lonesome sound of the great harmonica players on this disc is enough to send chills up your spine on more than one occasion.

Sometimes when a musician is billed as a living legend, or the last of his kind, he's hauled out like some museum piece and placed on display like an exhibit. His or her talent might be a thing of the past but that doesn't stop people from exploiting them for their own purposes. That's not the case with David "Honeyboy" Edwards' latest collection of blues music, Roamin' and Ramblin' This is as fine a collection of acoustic blues that I've heard in a long time, and proof positive that the blues are still some of the most emotionally honest and powerful music to have ever been performed.

This is one legend who doesn't rest on his laurels and can still teach anybody who listens to him a few lessons in how to live life to its fullest. Roamin' And Ramblin' is a great recording by a great performer, and a must own for any fan of the blues.