Vocalists — All Formats  

Quite an unusual album from Helen Merrill – but a set that also shows that quite early on, she was a singer with a keen ear for working on larger concepts too! Merrill first rose to fame as a cool-voiced singer in the 50s, but she does a surprisingly great job here with country tunes as well – sung not exactly in a western mode, but more in a jazz-based style, with arrangements from Chuck Sagle, who really helps find a creative new setting for the songs! Given that most of the themes are pretty universal, they translate well to this new approach – and Merrill really opens up on the record, in ways she'd later do on other creative sessions like this overseas. Tracks include "Maybe Tomorrow", "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry", "Heart Full Of Love", "Cold Cold Heart", "Any Time", and "You Win Again".

Country, Nancy's way – but fortunately that way includes some great help from Lee Hazlewood, who's working here at the height of his powers! The set's got that sly, sexy twangy cowboy mode that was Lee's greatest contribution to Nancy – and the way the album's set up, it's almost more of a Hazlewood album with Nancy singing vocals – than a Nancy Sinatra record with Lee helping out. Lee duets with Nancy on the classic "Jackson", and on "Oh Lonesome Me" – and other tracks include "End of the World", "Help Stamp Out Loneliness", and "Lonely Again".

A pair of London Records albums from Margaret Whiting – back to back on a single CD, with bonus tracks too! Maggie Isn't Margaret Anymore is cool crossover pop from Whiting – a late 60s album that still draws strongly on her roots in jazz, but which also has Maggie trying on some younger styles too! The set isn't all 60s pop overall, but there's definitely a nice choice of tracks that goes way past the usual Margaret Whiting bag – although often arranged in ways that still hold more strongly to the sentimental echoes of Whiting's past. Titles include "This Is My Song", "Somethin Stupid", "If This Is Goodbye", "Because","Only Love Can Break A Heart", and "Just Like A Man". Pop Country is exactly what's promised in the album's title – a set of popular country numbers, sung by Margaret Whiting in a style that carries plenty of echoes of Nashville! The style is often soft and dreamy – with Whiting's blue-tinged vocals moving gently over backings that are usually given a slight bit of electric bass, just to step things along slowly. The approach works surprisingly well – a real winner for Margaret – and titles include "I Love You So Much It Hurts", "Release Me", "I Hate To See Me Go", "Am I Losing You", "You Don't Know Me", and "Gentle On My Mind". CD also features four totally groovy cuts – unreleased tracks that include "I'm Losin My Mind", "The Heart Of A Sailor", "Boys Fall In Love", and "Believe In Me".

Beautiful work from Cassandra Wilson – a record that's every bit as great as some of her best from previous years – and one that also has a new sort of vibe, too! There's a quality to the set that's nicely laidback – a feeling that comes from the album's strong use of acoustic guitar, which gently lopes along with textures that are perfect for unlocking new shades in Wilson's vocals – a mode that's every bit as righteous as before, but even more personal, too! Fabrizio Sotti handles the guitar – and plays two solo numbers too – and the small group instrumentation also features some gentle percussion from Mino Cinelu and Lekan Babalola. Titles include "Almost Twelve", "O Sole Mio", "Red Guitar", "No More Blues", "Passion", and "When Will I See You Again".

One of Marianne Faithfull's folksiest albums of the 60s – a great batch of tracks that includes a few by 60s folksingers, a few originals, and a few more traditional numbers, done here with a really dark edge. Arrangements are by Mick Taylor and Jon Mark, who also wrote some of the tracks – with a strong mix of acoustic guitar and strings, in a way that almost recalls some of the backings on Nick Drake albums. Titles include "North Country Maid", "Lullaby", "Wild Mountain Thyme", "Green Are Your Eyes", "The Last Thing On My Mind", "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", and "She Moved Thru The Fair".

Quite an unusual little album from Connie Francis – her attempt to join in on the Bonnie & Clyde album craze of the late 60s – but a set that's got a different feel than most! While others were steeped in country and bluegrass sounds, the approach here is mostly in a 30s pop vocal mode – playful arrangements from Don Costa, occasionally augmented to give them an "old time" feel in the studio – and vocals from Connie that are quite different than her usual pop modes – really changed up nicely to fit the different spirit of the tunes. Titles include "Ace In The Hole", "Gold Diggers Medley", "Connie & Clyde", "Maybe", "Button Up Your Overcoat", and "Am I Blue".

A treasure trove of rare work by Lee Hazelwood – tracks recorded in the last 25 years of the 20th Century, but unissued until this beautiful compilation! Much of the material has the feel of Hazelwood's albums from the late 60s and early 70s – a sublime mix of country, folk, and Lee's unique "outlaw" approach to vocal pop – and all tunes are produced by Lee with longtime musical partner Al Casey. The quality of the songwriting, as always, is great – and if you like Lee's work of classic years, you'll enjoy this set quite a lot. Titles include "Buying Back", "Suddenly Tennessee", "For My Birthday", "Save A Place For Me", "Dolly & Hawkeye", and "Dirtnap Stories".

One of the rarest Lee Hazlewood albums ever – a mid 70s set recorded for Polydor in Sweden, and one that represents a really unique chapter in Lee's career overseas! At times, the album's got a very strong country feel – more so than even other Hazlewood records, which always had a bit of twang – yet at other points, the record moves into more familiar vocal work – recalling some of the modes that Lee had laid down on his best work of the late 60s. Not all songs are originals, but Lee definitely makes all the music his own – and the arrangements by David Whitaker and Lars Samuelson move around in good ways to match the spirit of Hazlewood's mood on each tune. This reissue features some really great notes – filled with the kind of personal recollections that make Lee's life seem like it was always a blast to live – and titles include "The Rising Star", "Come On Home To Me", "It's For My Dad", "Paris Bells", "Hello Saturday Morning", "Wait Till Next Year", "LA Lady", "I've Got To Be Moving", "Mother Country Music", and a great version of "It Was A Very Good Year".

Genius, pure genius! (Have we said that about Lee too many times before?) The work of Lee Hazlewood is beyond description – a bit of vocals, a bit of country, a bit of lounge, and a bit of rock – all wrapped up with a sinister edge that has you believing that this was the man who used to refer to his frequent musical partner as "Nasty" Sinatra over the headphones during recording sessions! The set features 35 tracks from Lee's obscure years at MGM records – wonderful vocal tunes that rank with some of his best ever, plus a few weird instrumentals, recorded by Lee Hazlewood's Woodchucks. Insanely wonderful stuff – records that we come back to again and again and again over the years – finally presented in their entirety, with a great set of notes on the music! Tracks include "Hands", "Mannford Oklahoma", "This Town", "Sand", "Child", "Little War", "Fort Worth", "Summer Wine", "I Move Around", "After Six", "Batman", "Summer Nights", "Suzi Jane Is Back In Town", "In Our Time", "When A Fool Loves A Fool", and "So Long Babe".

An amazing record from the young Lee Hazlewood – recorded in the years before working with Nancy Sinatra, and done with a very hip edge that stretches way past its date of origin – to a time ten years later, when the LA scene would be in the midst of a fascination with country and roots music! Hazlewood is the lost link in that tradition, and this album is key proof of that fact – served up with a mixture of warmth, cynicism, and just plain wit that was extremely unusual for the early 60s. Lee uses the fictional town of Trouble as the setting for the 10 little story tracks in the album – which are great little songs about love, life, not loving, and not living. The music is deceptively simple, and Hazlewood weaves the songs together with narration that brings the whole thing alive nicely – really showcasing the warmth and wit that makes his music so special. Titles include "We All Make The Flowers Grow", "Six Feet Of Chain", "Trouble Is A Lonesome Town", "The Railroad", "Run Boy Run", "Son Of A Gun", and "Look At That Woman". Rare mono mix, beautifully presented with great sound and loads of notes – and also features a huge amount of bonus tracks too! Bonus tracks include "It's An Actuality", "Forth Worth", "I Guess It's Love", and the incredible promo-only "Lee Hazlewood Autobiography" – which features Hazlewood telling his life story set to his own acoustic guitar playing, with even more wit than on the album – plus two vocal tunes with Duane Eddy – "The Girl On Death Row" and "Words Mean Nothing" – and four more recorded under the name of Mark Robinson – "Pretty Jane", "Want Me", "Can't Let Her See Me Cry", and "I've Made Enough Mistakes Today".

An amazing record from the young Lee Hazlewood – recorded in the years before working with Nancy Sinatra, and done with a very hip edge that stretches way past its date of origin – to a time ten years later, when the LA scene would be in the midst of a fascination with country and roots music! Hazlewood is the lost link in that tradition, and this album is key proof of that fact – served up with a mixture of warmth, cynicism, and just plain wit that was extremely unusual for the early 60s. Lee uses the fictional town of Trouble as the setting for the 10 little story tracks in the album – which are great little songs about love, life, not loving, and not living. The music is deceptively simple, and Hazlewood weaves the songs together with narration that brings the whole thing alive nicely – really showcasing the warmth and wit that makes his music so special. Titles include "We All Make The Flowers Grow", "Six Feet Of Chain", "Trouble Is A Lonesome Town", "The Railroad", "Run Boy Run", "Son Of A Gun", and "Look At That Woman". Rare mono mix, beautifully presented with great sound and loads of notes – and also features a huge amount of bonus tracks too! Bonus tracks include "It's An Actuality", "Forth Worth", "I Guess It's Love", and the incredible promo-only "Lee Hazlewood Autobiography" – which features Hazlewood telling his life story set to his own acoustic guitar playing, with even more wit than on the album – plus two vocal tunes with Duane Eddy – "The Girl On Death Row" and "Words Mean Nothing" – and four more recorded under the name of Mark Robinson – "Pretty Jane", "Want Me", "Can't Let Her See Me Cry", and "I've Made Enough Mistakes Today".

A pretty darn amazing album from Thelma Houston – recorded during the zenith of Jimmy Webb's career, when Jimmy was not only one of the hippest songwriters in pop, but also kind of a mini-Burt Bacharach, writing, arranging, and conducting albums for a variety of stars. This little gem features Thelma fronting a set of 11 original tunes by Jimmy – arranged with a hip pop sophistication that few other talents of his time could match – soul and strings coming together in a wonderful swirl that makes for one of Thelma's most compelling records. Titles include "Crazy Mixed Up Girl", "This Is Where I Came In", "Pocketful Of Keys", "Cheap Lovin", "This Is Your Life", "If This Was The Last Song", and "Sunshower". This version includes a handful of bonus tracks released as singles for ABC Dunhill in 1970 including a sweet version of Laura Nyro's "Save The Country", plus "I Just Can't Stay Away", "I Just Gotta Be Me", "Crying In The Sunshine", "(The) Good Earth" and "Ride, Louis, Ride".

Incredible work from the songwriting team of Roger Nichols & Paul Williams – sublime greatness from the end of the 60s era at A&M! At the time of these recordings, Nichols had just finished cutting his landmark Small Circle of Friends album for A&M – and Paul Williams was an out of work actor hanging around the label with a few ideas for songs. The two were paired, and instantly began working on a string of hits for Claudine Longet, The Carpenters, and other artists. These rare recordings are demos cut by the pair to showcase their songs – with Williams doing most of the vocals, and Nichols handling the instrumentation on guitar, piano, and drums. The tracks have a rough quality that makes them sound better to our ears than their more famous versions by bigger stars – with the honest optimism that you'd hear in Nichols' earlier album, and the moody sad style that Williams brought to his own work. Titles include "Let Me Be The One", "The Drifter", "Time", "Somebody Waiting", "After All", "So Many People", "When Love Is Near", "Do You Really Have A Heart", and "Out In The Country".

With backings from Leonard DePaur – and titles that include "Strange Fruit", "Lamento Esclavo", "Partisian Song", "Oh Freedom", and "Cry The Beloved Country".

A groovy set from Tommy Vig and family – with a nice version of "SWAT" – plus "In A Persian Market", "The Last Bird From Madrid", "Love Song To A Country", and "On The Budapest Seoul Express".

An unusual 60s comeback for singer Margaret Whiting – and a set that firmly established her as both a country singer, and a singer of jazz! The set's got full backings from Arnold Goland – often done in a way that carries a slight undercurrent of Nashville – not full-blown country, but the kind of country pop that you might hear from a singer like Kay Starr crossing over big. Other cuts echo some of the better Brit girl modes of the time – such as work by Petula Clark – and these are maybe some of the best, and really seem to open up the best vocal side of Whiting. Titles include "The Wheel Of Hurt", "The World Inside Your Arms", "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me", "Time After Time", and "Nothing Lasts Forever". CD features 13 more bonus tracks from singles – including "Where Was I", "Love's The Only Answer", "At The Edge Of The Ocean", "Love Has A Way", "Life Goes On", "I'll Tell Him Today", and "Can't Get You Out Of My Mind" – plus two German tracks as well!

Subtle sounds and gentle soul from Paul Williams – the wonderful singer/songwriter who cut some real gems for A&M Records in the early 70s! The album's filled with Williams' wonderful compositions – including a few penned with Roger Nichols – those great songs that other singers picked up and recorded famously, but which Paul always still sounds best singing himself! The arrangements are relatively subtle – full, yet never overdone – that great balance that A&M hit in these years, before sliding into too-smooth territory later in the 70s. The setting is perfect for Paul's vocals – and titles include "Little Girl", "Out In The Country", "The Lady Is Waiting", "I Won't Last A Day Without You", "Life Goes On", "Rose", and "Where Do I Go From Here".

Fantastic stuff by one of the greatest vocalists of the 20th century! The album is filled with haunting vocal tracks, twisted by arranger Pete Rugolo into complicated arrangements, and sung by Christy with a deep sense of sorrow and loneliness, masked by a weak smile that only seems to further emphasize Christy's inner pain. Despite a sunny day image on the cover, the whole thing's got an incredibly sad icy sound. Titles include "When The Sun Comes Out", "It's So Peaceful In the Country", "When You Awake", "Lazy Mood", and "Interlude".

An obscure post-A&M album from Paul Williams – recorded in Nashville with a bit of country-styled instrumentation – yet still undeniably in the best Williams mode of the 70s! There's a bit more confidence here than usual – nothing too dramatic, just a little more punch in some of the tunes, and a talent for a more straightforward hook than you might hear on Williams' earlier records. Yet throughout it all, his vocals still have that wonderfully crackling quality that we love so much – that fallen-down and heartfelt quality that really made him stand out even in these celebrity years. Titles include "Here's Another Fine Mess", "My Fair Share", "For The Life Of Me", "The Gift", "For Goodness Sake", and "Save Me A Dream".

Fantastic stuff by one of the greatest vocalists of the 20th century! The album is filled with haunting vocal tracks, twisted by arranger Pete Rugolo into complicated arrangements, and sung by Christy with a deep sense of sorrow and loneliness, masked by a weak smile that only seems to further emphasize Christy's inner pain. Despite a sunny day image on the cover, the whole thing's got an incredibly sad icy sound. Titles include "When The Sun Comes Out", "It's So Peaceful In the Country", "When You Awake", "Lazy Mood", and "Interlude".

A sweet harmony set from Pozo Seco – working here partly as the duo of Don Williams and Susan Taylor, and partly in the trio format known from their previous records as the Pozo Seco Singers! The duo tracks are especially nice, and really showcase Taylor's amazing vocals – and the album's got a mixed production approach that has some of the tunes in the older country/folk harmony style of the mid 60s, and some of the others in a mode that's a bit darker and moodier overall. Titles include "Spanish Harlem Incident", "You Better Sit Down Kids", "Good Morning Today", "Hey Babe Open Up Your Mind", "Keep On Keeping On", and "Gotta Come Up With Something". CD has LOTS of bonus tracks too – 11 more numbers that include "Tomorrow Proper", "Louisiana Man", "I Believed It All", "Excuse Me Dear Martha", "Creole Woman", "High On Life", "Till You Hear Your Mama Call", and "Leavin".