Screamin' Jay Hawkins - Frenzy (Reissue) (1982/1989)

Screamin' Jay Hawkins was a truly demented R&B shouter, as evidenced by the classic "I Put a Spell on You." It wasn't long before his camp schtick overshadowed his musical abilities, but for a brief while he had a certain warped genius. Most of these tracks were recorded for OKeh, and the 14-track compilation Frenzy contains most of the best of these recordings. Nothing ever quite touched "I Put a Spell on You," but the songs that came the closest are here. Frenzy may not be a comprehensive collection, but for anyone that wants more of the sound that made "I Put a Spell on You" a hit, this will suffice.