Koko Taylor is something of a deluxe edition herself: with a Cadillac of a voice that rumbles the earth and rattles the glassware, she reigns as the undisputed empress of the blues. Deluxe Edition, a retrospective of 15 years with Alligator Records, may not include such classics as "I Got What It Takes" and Willie Dixon's "Twenty-Nine Ways", but it does have "I'm a Woman", Taylor's answer to Muddy Waters, just to kick things off. Other highlights include "Born Under a Bad Sign"--a duet with Buddy Guy, of course. Much of Taylor's work in the 1970s included such duets, and here can also be found Carey Bell (on "Mother Nature"), Pinetop Perkins (on "Hey Bartender"), and B B King (on "Blues Hotel").

It goes without saying that everything on Deluxe Edition brims with Taylor's trademark attitude, the sass and toughness for which she's well known. Yet Taylor is capable of astonishing tenderness as well, as is borne out by "I'd Rather Go Blind" and "Time Will Tell". Though this collection boasts only one obligatory previously unreleased track, it's a doozy: "Man Size Job", simply put, kicks butt. Looks like Taylor's reign is in no danger whatsoever. --Genevieve Williams