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An instant classic from Ronald Isley – soulful readings of tunes by Burt Bacharach, arranged, conducted, and produced by Burt himself! The album has a surprisingly gentle feel – lots of room and space for Ronald to open up vocally, in a mode that's clearly got respect for the classic Bacharach sound, but which also pushes the range of these tracks in a really nice way. The mixture of two sorts of sweet is a lot more appealing than you might guess from the commercial nature of the set – and we're surprised at how much we find ourselves enjoying the album's versions of tunes that include "Windows Of The World", "Make It Easy On Yourself", "A House Is Not A Home", "Count On Me", and "This Guy's In Love With You". CD

Elliott Smith's masterful first album for the majors – and one of the most creatively fruitful leaps from the indie rock realm to the big leagues of the 90s – or ever! At his earlier solo best, Elliott managed to make really powerful, emotionally resonant songs in rawer, starker settings – so it was fair to wonder if a Dreamworks budget and mainstream studio production set up would squander the intimacy. It didn't! The rawness and realness of his songwriting is really strengthened by the somewhat bigger, beautiful production and arrangements. A genuine classic. Includes "Sweet Adeline", "Tomorrow Tomorrow", "Waltz # 2 (Xo)", "Independence Day", "Bottle Up & Explode", "I Didn't Understand", "Amity", "Baby Britain" and more. CD

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