There was never anyone like Lee Hazlewood – and this album is a true testament to his genius! He's the kind of guy you think you've got figured out when you first look at him – but the more you listen to his music, the more you want to raise him above all of the other hip singer/songwriters he seems to be like (Gram Parsons, Leonard Cohen, etc). At heart, Lee was a Cowboy – much more so than any of those fake LA "desperadoes" of the Sunset rock years – and this album, recorded as part of the enigmatic film A Cowboy In Sweden, is true testament to Lee's incredible ability to be both totally serious about his image, yet still maintain a sense of wit and distance that makes him incredibly hard to pin down, genre-wise. He's the country singer Scott Walker always wanted to be, and he's got a pop genius that Leonard Cohen painfully tried to reach in his later years. Brilliant! Filled with beautiful titles like "Forget Marie", "Pray Them Bars Away", "Easy & Me", "No Train To Stockholm", and "The Night Before" – one that you won't forget for a long time! This rare deluxe version features a bonus album of unreleased tracks – outtakes, demos, and instrumentals! LP, Vinyl record album

Amazing sounds from Lee Hazlewood – some of his most offbeat, unbridled recordings ever – and that's saying a lot if you've already heard his classics for Mercury, MGM, and Reprise! The package here brings together rare work from Lee's own LHI label – packaged beautifully with a rich set of notes, session details, and some amazing photos that follow in the spirit of the nutty-looking cover image! Hazlewood's voice is sublime throughout – that deeper-than-deep quality that always leaves us breathless – perfect for the sly wit and and "aw shucks" sensibility of the tunes – and also for unlocking the growing adult sensuality that Lee was letting into his work at the time. A few female singers step forth in that great Hazlewood duet mode – Nina Lizell, Suzi Jane Hokom, and Ann Margret – who each sing on a few tracks – but Lee's in the lead on most numbers, and titles include the previously unreleased "I Just Learned To Run" – plus "The Bed", "Sleep In The Grass", "The Night Before", "If It's Monday Morning", "Won't You Tell Your Dreams", "Hey Cowboy", "No Train To Stockholm", "What's More I Don't Need Her", "Trouble Maker", and "Nobody Like You". LP, Vinyl record album

A very groovy set of jazz vocals – recorded in the mid 60s by Lisa Marne, who was once a TV variety show personality – but never issued at the time! The "combo" on the title really gives a great indication of the feel of the record – small group backing with a very jazzy vibe, in a lineup that includes a nice tenor that slinks alongside Lisa's vocals – as she moves through a very groovy set of tunes that have a hiply swinging vibe – very much in the territory of mid 60s work by Peggy Lee or Marion Montgomery! Titles include her great reading of the vocal version of the "Bewitched" theme song – plus "Like Young", "Wives & Lovers", "Hey Pussycat", "Night Train", "Moment Of Truth", and "Boy From Ipanema". CD

A really groovy record by a really unusual group – a trio who played at a small resort in Missouri during the 60s, where they effortlessly mixed up elements of rock, jazz, and country for the crowds at the bar! That's the lovely Ann Delrene on the front, and she's a hell of a singer – way more than some lounge wanna-be, and instead a richly talented vocalist who not only does a hell of a lot when she steps to the mic, but also manages to give familiar tunes a very fresh flavor of their own – playing bass alongside the guitar and drums in the trio! Titles include "The Tide", "Funnel Of Love", "Girl From Ipanema", "Voodoo Doll", "Hey Bo Diddley", "Night Train", and "Your Cheatin Heart". LP, Vinyl record album

A very groovy set of jazz vocals – recorded in the mid 60s by Lisa Marne, who was once a TV variety show personality – but never issued at the time! The "combo" on the title really gives a great indication of the feel of the record – small group backing with a very jazzy vibe, in a lineup that includes a nice tenor that slinks alongside Lisa's vocals – as she moves through a very groovy set of tunes that have a hiply swinging vibe – very much in the territory of mid 60s work by Peggy Lee or Marion Montgomery! Titles include her great reading of the vocal version of the "Bewitched" theme song – plus "Like Young", "Wives & Lovers", "Hey Pussycat", "Night Train", "Moment Of Truth", and "Boy From Ipanema". LP, Vinyl record album

Massive music from Ella Fitzgerald – 2CDs worth of sublime small group recordings – all of them live, and all of them previously unissued before the Hip-O/Verve Select box set! The set follows the same format of the Verve Ella In Hollywood album – recorded in a small club setting, with combo backing that really lets Fitzgerald open up and swing – inflecting the tunes with the kind of warmth and spontaneity that she brought to her famous live performances of the time – which were almost always more compelling than her studio sides, no matter how great those were too! Vols 1 & 2s feature material from two weeks' worth of recording in May of 1961 – with backing from Jim Hall on guitar, Lou Levy on piano, Wilfred Middlebrooks on bass, and Gus Johnson on drums. A brief intro rolls into beautiful material on 2CDs – 37 tracks in all: "Lover Come Back To Me", "Too Close For Comfort", "Little White Lies", "I Found A New Baby", "Perdido", "'Round Midnight", "Take The 'A' Train", "Mr Paganini", "Nice Work If You Can Get It", "I Can't Get It Started", "Give Me The Simple Life", "Lorelei", "Witchcraft", "That Old Black Magic", "Lullaby Of Birdland", "Imagination", "Joe Williams' Blues" and more. CD

A strongly soul-based set from Jose James – and a record that really pushes forward the amazing journey in music he's given us over his killer albums of the past decade or two! Jose already has a voice that's tremendous – but here he opens up his production skills as well, and has this way of blending together elements from soul, Brazilian music, and other global sources – but all with a majestic focus that's maybe even more powerful given how easy and organic his vocals sound! In a world of TV-trained younger singers who always try way too hard to show you how they can sound soulful, Jose James is still such a wonderful relief – demonstrated here on titles that include "Black Orpheus", "Dark Side Of The Sun", "Isis & Osiris", "Let's Get It", "Saturday Night", "38th & Chicago", and "Place Of Worship" – which features a great guest appearance from Brazilian singer Xenia Franca. (Neo Soul, Vocalists) CD

Really great material from Andy Williams – some of the grooviest sounds we've ever heard from the singer, thanks to backings from Quincy Jones! The set features live sides cut for the Let's Go To Town show issued for radio by the National Guard – and the album's got a similar feel to the great Williams/Jones album on Cadence from the same time, but with a vibe that's even more jazz-based overall! Andy's a hell of a singer in the right setting – and this album's even more sublime than his studio album with Quincy – as it offers up a fair bit of instrumental tracks from Jones' great ensemble of the time, which means even more great work on some of the solo passages. Dave Grusin plays piano on a few tracks, too – and titles include "Pleasingly Plump", "Gwan Train", "Boum", "The Midnight Sun Will Never Set", "Domino", "Air Mail Special", "Lester Leaps In", "Mademoiselle De Paris", and "Clap Yo Hands/I Won't Dance". CD