The maze of new and recent discs by this veteran Chicago piano man can be daunting, but rest assured that this is one of his best to date. Many of the songs are Perkins standbys -- "Kidney Stew," "Caldonia," and of course, "Pinetop's Boogie Woogie" -- but the backing here is so stellar (sidemen include harpists James Cotton and Kim Wilson, guitarists Matt Murphy, Jimmy Rogers, Hubert Sumlin, and Duke Robillard, and several driving rhythm sections) -- that the project rises above most of Perkins's output. ~ Bill Dahl

Rovi