Women of Substance indeed. This smart little comp from Savoy Jazz puts together a tough selection of cuts by singers as different as Big Maybelle and Annie Ross; as completely opposite as Carol Welsman and Etta Jones, and as innovative as Sarah Vaughan and Morgana King. There's more, of course, by jazz singers like Ann Hampton Callaway, Albinia Jones and Little Esther, too. This is mostly ballads and blues, but there are a few surprises, as well such as the up-tempo burn-down of "Falling in Love Again," by Callaway, or King's "My Funny Valentine," that is a real slow scorcher. Some of these names may not be familiar to the merely curious about female jazz and blues vocalists, but there isn't one weak or mediocre cut in the bunch. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide