A tribute to Bessie Smith is delivered by Rory Block as she sings, plays a mean acoustic guitar and provides her own support on various percussion instruments ranging from hat boxes to wooden spoons. Her strings vibrate with resonance on earthy pieces such as “Weeping Willow” and the stomp like a calliope on “Empty Bed Blues.” Block’s voice doesn’t carry the magnitude or gravitas as Smith, but that 1920’s style wouldn’t sit well with modern ears anyway, as Block sounds relaxed on the porch during the fun “Need a Little Sugar In My Bowl” and casual as she sings and slides like Ricky Henderson on “Jazzbo Brown From Memphis Town” and “Kitchen Man.” The strings bend like a member of Cirque Du Soleil on “Gimme A Pigfoot and a Bottle of Beer” and is true to a ragtime feel for “On Revival Day.” Smith’s soul is laid out in modern blue tones on this satisfying session by a lady who has kept faithful to the folk blues calling.