by Stewart MasonA collection of good old Texas electric blues tracks mostly recorded by Johnny Copeland in the early '60s through the mid-'70s, between his first flush of youth and his Rounder Records-sponsored artistic renaissance, Working Man Blues is a portrait of an undeniably talented electric guitarist and singer floundering a bit in terms of career direction. As a result, this 19-track compilation is filled with nuggets of prime electric blues, but they range from workmanlike renditions of Ray Charles standards ("Night Time Pts. 1 & 2") to Atlantic Records-style early rock & roll ("Hear What I Said") to slinky Albert King-style workouts ("Your Game Is Working"). It's a bit all over the map, but there are surprisingly few duff tracks, and no stylistic experiments that simply don't work, à la Surfin' With Bo Diddley. This is a fine introduction to an oft-overlooked period in Johnny Copeland's career.