Rosemary Clooney has had many claims to fame over the years, but one of her first was a key appearance in the film White Christmas – an on-screen role that's nicely reprised here in a set of Irving Berlin tunes from the movie! Rosemary sings solo on all numbers – save for one that's done as a duet with her sister – and the backings nicely approximate the overall vibe of the soundtrack, but have a tighter sort of clarity for these studio recordings. Tracks include "White Christmas", "Snow", "Get I Wish I Was Back In The Army", and "Count Your Blessings Instead Of Sheep". Plus, the CD adds in 7 more bonus tracks – radio performances from The Rosemary Clooney Show or The Bing Crosby Show – with titles that include "Home For The Holidays", "The Christmas Song", "Jingle Bells", "Silver Bells", and "Happy Christmas Little Friend". (Holiday Music, Vocalists) CD

A full album's worth of Christmas cheer from Doris Day – with a whole lot of bonus tracks too! The core of the set is the 1964 Doris Day Christmas Album – the only full length Christmas album from Doris, and a real standout in the Columbia holiday offerings of the 60s! Doris has a well-developed vocal approach that really brings a lot to the familiar tunes in the set – and her years of on-screen presentation really helps illuminate the songs with a nicely personal feel – never overplayed, but the kind of readings that always used to make tunes like these really sparkle on the TV screen in December. Arrangements are by Pete King, Dick Hazard, and Frank Comstock – and titles include "Let It Snow", "Christmas Present", "White Christmas", "Silver Bells", "Snowfall", "Be A Child At Christmas Time", and "The Christmas Song". CD then includes a whopping 10 more bonus tracks from previous singles and collections – titles that include "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm", "Deck The Halls", "Silent Night", "Let No Walls Divide", "Here Comes Santa Claus", and a special "Christmas Greeting From Doris Day". (Holiday Music, Vocalists) CD

An unusual record for Astrud Gilberto – one that has her updating her older sound by working with Philly producer Vince Montana! The approach blends Montana's Philly club in with Astrud's gently bossa-schooled vocals – in a way that glides along nicely and offers the same sort of disco-fied version of styles that were showing up in other genres at the time. The strength, though, is that since Astrud had already cut a funkier album earlier in the 70s for Perception, she was a bit better prepared to handle the session than you might guess – and the overall arrangements still have some stylistic links back to her older work. Arrangements are by Vince Montana, Don Sebesky, and Al Gorgoni – and titles include "Black Magic", "Meu Piao", "All I've Got", "Love For Sale", and the creepy "Puppy Song"! (Brazil, Vocalists) LP, Vinyl record album

A wealth of tracks by Robert Mitchum! That's right, THE Robert Mitchum – actor who starred in a wealth of classic noir and action films, a consummate hipster who fancied himself to be quite a singer. A set of more obscure numbers from the late 60s, country and western tunes recorded in Nashville, mostly during the spring of 1967. Mitchum's easy-going style actually works quite well on the tunes – drawling along with a boozy finish that's somewhere in the same territory as Dean Martin's country work, but a bit rougher. Bob's not the greatest singer in the world, but overall, his presentation of the material is quite enjoyable – and proof that he's one of the most compelling figures to ever grace the silver screen. Titles include "Sunny", "Ballad of Thunder Road", "In My Place", "That Man Right There", "Walker's Woods", "Little Ole Wine Drinker Me", "You Deserve Each Other", and "Ricardo's Mountain". LP, Vinyl record album

A really unusual album from actor Jack Palance – unusual in that it may well be his only vocal performance on record, and even more unusual in that it came out during a very hip stretch of Warner Brothers at the start of the 70s! Yet the pairing of Palance and the budding genius of Warner maybe makes perfect sense – as the aging actor is a great fit here for the sorts of moods that you'd find in the bluer songs of Van Dyke Parks, or the subtle drama of Neon Philharmonic – even though the whole thing is less of a Los Angeles affair overall – as it was produced by Buddy Killen in Nashville, with some arrangements by Bergen White. You could call the record a country album, and there's definitely some country elements here – but Jack kind of sing/speaks, and maybe presents the whole thing as a meaner, more mature take on modes that some of the other cowboys on the screen were recording a decade before. Palance also wrote some of the songs – including "The Meanest Guy That Ever Lived" – and other titles include "Goodbye Lucy", "Blackjack County Chains", "A Little Bitty Tear", "Love Can Only Mean You", "Dancing Like Children", and "Brother River". (Folk/Country, Vocalists) CD

A really wonderful first album from Anthony Perkins – cut years before he shocked the screen in Psycho, at a time when he was arguably more committed to his role as a singer! Perkins is surprisingly great throughout – with a mellow, masculine approach that's a bit like Matt Dennis at the time – never overdone, but with just the right sort of inflections to really personalize the music. Tony never tries to belt it out of the park, and that's what we really like about the record – in that he's a much more honest, understated singer – a nice contrast to some of the more emotive talents on the charts at the time. Marty Paich provides the backing – in a great jazzy style that's similar to his work with Mel Torme – and titles include "April Fool", "Hit The Road To Dreamland", "How Long Has This Been Going On", "But Beautiful", "I Wish I Knew", "Accidents Will Happen", and "Better Luck Next Time". LP, Vinyl record album

A great 50s vocal session – for a number of reasons! One of the strongest is Patricia herself – a fresh-voice singer who's without hoke – backed by some moody arrangements from the Creed Taylor Orchestra. Even better is the selection of tunes – which includes a number of really unusual songs that push past the obvious standards – many of them in a dark mood that really fits the theme of the album nicely. Titles include "Do It Again", "Wandering Swallow", "Why Baby Why", "Nothing At All", "Speed Of Light", "Just Once Around The Clock", and Patricia's own composition "Let's Sit Down & Talk It Over". LP, Vinyl record album

Great late Frank Sinatra at Capitol Records – a set that still grooves in all the Nelson Riddle brilliance of the early 50s years, but also points the way towards the mature masculinity that Frank would find working at Reprise! The title tune, "Nice and Easy", is a classic swinger with great backing by Nelson Riddle – and the rest of the album's selection of tunes is a bit more in the sad late nite mode of some of Sinatra's other end of the 50s sessions, but handled with a bit more flair, a bit more of that ass-pinching machismo that would creep into his love songs in the 60s. Titles include "Dream", "She's Funny That Way", "Fools Rush In", "That Old Feeling", and his seminal reading of "I've Got A Crush On You" – one of the gems from the late Capitol years! LP, Vinyl record album

One of Frank Sinatra's last great ballad albums for Capitol – a sad and dreamy batch of tunes that kicks off with the incredible "Only The Lonely" – one of those Sinatra torch songs that's so great, so sad, nobody else has ever been able to record a better version, nor have they really tried! The rest of the album's great, too – with arrangements by Nelson Riddle that are very much in the Wee Small Hours mode – expressive, but subtle and sophisticated – at that level that set Sinatra so far apart from most other male singers of the 50s. Despite the creepy cover, there's a mature, adult approach to the whole thing – a new level of emotion that most other singers wouldn't find for a decade. Titles include "Only The Lonely", "Angel Eyes", "What's New", "Ebb Tide", "Spring Is Here", "Goodbye", and the sublime "One For My Baby". CD

One of the greatest duet songs of all time – a surprisingly creepy 60s pop gem from the team of Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood! The song has a haunting vibe that builds beautifully in Lee's production – as Hazlewood matches his deep vocals with Nancy's lighter touch, all in a mode that makes for one of the strangest love songs you'll ever hear! This special version also features a great version of The Kinks' "Tired Of Waiting For You" – produced by Lee, arranged by Billy Strange, and appearing here on vinyl for the first time ever! (Funky 45's, Vocalists) 7-inch, Vinyl record

Ward performs with a stellar ensemble led by Bucky Pizzarelli, including Steve Jordan, Bernie Privin, Pee Wee Erwin, Ruby Braff, George Masso, Vic Dickenson, Phil Bodner, Al Cohn, Mickey Crane, Tony Monte, Warren Chiasson, Milt Hinton, Slam Stewart, Butch Miles, and Bobby Rosengarden. Titles include "I've Got The World On A String", "Pennies From Heaven", "Goody Goody", "Jeepers Creepers", "S Wonderful", "Sweet Georgia Brown" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

The title definitely gets it right – as Andy Williams was maybe the king of the easy listening vocal scene at the end of the 60s – a singer with a smooth style that was equally popular on record as it was on the TV screen! Yet Andy was also something very special, and very much unto himself – a crooner with links to the past, but with a warmth and personal approach that was much more down to earth – which made Williams such a great community-crossing artist at the time. This package is a great addition to his Columbia catalog – as it features 20 tracks on CD for the first time ever, 16 of which are previously unreleased – with lots of gems that are every bit as great, and maybe often more interesting than, some of Andy's biggest hits for the label. There's some great tunes here that get that wonderful Williams treatment – and titles include "Two For The Road", "On The Southside Of Chicago", "This Guy's In Love With You", "Bonita", "No One To Cry To", "A Question Of Love", "The Sinner", "Our Night To Howl", "Proud Mary", "What's The Matter Girl", "Too Young", "I Don't Know How To Love Her", "Through The Years", "Ruby Don't Take Your Love To Town", and "San Francisco". CD