I listened to this book with the last of my Audible subscription. 

I must admit that I had not heard of Bessie Smith before reading this book. Albertson does an excellent job of bringing Smith's complex personality to life throughout the book. He even managed to bring out her sense of humour from the stories that sources provided Albertson. Smith had a great talent for singing, being known as the Empress of Blues and the albums I've listened to since reading this work make it clear this is a well-deserved title. 

Although, 75% of this book covers the life, career, and relationships of Smith a good 25% of the book covers music history, particularly in the realms of Blues and Jazz. These parts were interesting, well-researched, and written in a way that as someone with no background information, I was able to follow along without issues. However, there were a few places where this history did overtake the fascinating story of Smith's life. 

If you are a music lover or enjoy reading something new, this is an excellent book. The impact that Bessie Smith had on music in the United States is far-reaching and it is important to bring her life back to the forefront of music history.