Disco de Brenda Lee: “Little Miss Dynamite [Box]”

I think I fell in love with Brenda when I heard her first single in 1957. What a big powerful voice in such a little girl. I've waited for a good Brenda Box Set since CDs first came out. The double MCA anthology was OK but only left me wanting much, much more Brenda. Leave it to Bear Family to do it right. The sound quality is pristine and this box set showcases Brenda's enormous talent during her early years. Every song is great on this set and I've been anxiously awaiting the next release by Bear Family for this enormous talent. If you're a Brenda Lee fan, you absolutely have to have this box set!

Brenda Lee has had a most interesting career. You could divide it into three parts. The first is her rockabilly period, which was pretty much her first thing and continued to 1960. Then the 1960s was her second phase, which was largely about ballads. Then the 1970s and on have been her third phase, which have largely been country. While I haven't heard much of her third phase work, her early work is as good as gold. I especially LOVE her rockabilly work; Brenda Lee is truly the queen of rockabilly. And it's hard to believe she was so young! We're talking pre-teen here. It really blows the mind when you hear it. Just listen to her crank out "Little Jonah (Rock On Your Steel Guitar)". WOW!

While some of her ballad years had her singing so-so songs, and some with so-so arrangements, her voice would always cut through and reach you directly. While it was easier to do that back in the day (now a good singer can barely be heard behind today's production noise), it's still a testament to the power of her voice. It's hard to believe she was mostly a star among teenagers at the time, because I find her voice and many of the songs so timeless. This is something that hardly any other teen singer will ever be able to claim.

I highly suggest this set, and I dare you to not think the first CD is among the finest rockabilly singing that you have ever heard. And then I dare you to listen to the rest and not think that "Break It To Me Gently", "Fool #1", and "Emotions" are not among the finest ballad crooning you've ever heard.

Brenda Lee could rock, she could swing, and she could croon. And she excelled at all of them. While she couldn't crank out a tune in the same way as a Judy Garland or an Ella Fitzgerald, that is really the point and the enormous charm of her voice. She had a rock voice that could conquer anything. But first and foremost, it was a rock voice, based on the core ingredients of rock (blues, country, and gospel). But it was an elegant rock voice. I shouldn't speak in the past tense because she's still working to this day, but I'm speaking of this set for it's all I really know by her.

This set is worth every penny!

Buyers, the reviews that appear on this page are not for the cd that is listed here. they are however meant to go with a similarly titled 4 cd box set from germany (which costs nearly 100 dollars). this cd has the same title, but you can tell by the price it is a one cd set, and the reviews you read here do not apply to it.