After a lengthy hiatus, Downhome series returns with a package that upholds and often surpasses the standards set by the first four volumes. This one concentrates on artists from the Bay Area of California and offers some of the most unvarnished and basic downhome recordings of the whole series. None of these 26 tracks or takes are currently available on Ace CDs (in fact, very few have been issued prior to this release). Jimmy McCracklin and Lowell Fulsom are the most familiar names but the other artists are very collectable with their original singles and 78s almost impossible to find and no less noteworthy musically.