Hip-O

Ten CDs focusing on a single artist has the potential for serious overkill, and if that artist plays the blues, then the possibility of repetition and tedium comes with the territory. But if that blues artist is B.B. King, then even a 10-disc boxed set only scratches the surface, and the exhaustive Ladies and Gentlemen… Mr. B.B. King will likely stand as the definitive word on this American icon long after he’s gone. The set painstakingly outlines King’s career, going back to the early sides for the Modern label, up through his ABCParamount and MCA Records output and fairly deep into the recordings of more recent decades, including numerous rarities and many of the high-profile collaborations that King has recorded. For those who would prefer a bit less, there’s also a more compact version, collected on four discs. That pared-down version is also more readily available; the larger set is an Amazon.com exclusive. Either will serve handily as a primer on the man rightfully called the King of the Blues.