One of Mose's best early albums – even though he hardly gets a chance to sing on it! The album features some great work by Allison's trio of the time – Addison Farmer on bass and Ronnie Free on drums – simple piano-driven groovers, performed with a slight gutbuckety approach, and lots of sweet down home soul. Mose sings a bit on the classic "Seventh Son", a groover that's kept him going for years, and on the great tune "If You Live", which also has a similar feel. Other tracks include "Mule", "If I Didn't Care", "Moon & Cypress", and "Creek Bank". LP, Vinyl record album

Classic 60s work from Brigitte Bardot – the roots of French female pop, with a set of tracks that mix together bits of rock, pop, and lively jazz-based arrangements – all in a unique blend that's totally great, and every bit as wonderful as you might expect! We might go so far as to argue that Brigitte Bardot on record is almost sexier than on the screen – and thanks to backing from the likes of Claude Bolling, Francois Rauber, and Pedro Serrano – the grooves are as great as the lovely lady's vocals! The set includes a great track written by Serge Gainsbourg, and titles include "L'Appareil A Sous", "Invitango", "Les Amis De La Musique", "Pas Davantage", "La Madrague", "El Cuchipe", "Everybody Loves My Baby", and "C'Est Rigolo". CD features bonus tracks "La Belle Et Le Blues", "Lecon De Guitare", and "Tiens C'Est Toi". (French, Vocalists) CD

Excellent work from Nat King Cole – a set of rare television performances that offer up a much greater side of his charms than some of his studio records for Capitol! The fidelity on most tracks is pretty great – and many numbers feature Nat talking a bit as he introduces the songs, with that easygoing approach that made him as charming a talent on the screen as he was on the radio. The bulk of the tracks are from Nat's short-lived show that ran in 1957 – and the rest are from the 1963 Australian Mobil Limb TV Show – an unusual special. Nelson Riddle handles most of the arrangements – and the 2CD set features 35 titles that include "April Love", "Passing By", "C'Est Si Bon", "Sweet Lorraine", "Button Up Your Overcoat", "Love Is Sweeping The Country", "It's All In the Game", "My Personal Possession", "I Love A Piano", "When I Fall In Love", and "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down & Wright Myself A Letter". CD

A much better record than we want to admit, with Natalie moving towards jazzy numbers and standards, for a blockbuster Grammy winning effort. Her voice stands up well to the mainstream polish, and even the creepy "duet" with her father is enjoyable. 22 tracks in all, including "The Very Thought Of You", "Paper Moon", "Mona Lisa", 'This Can't Be Love", "Lush Life", "That Sunday That Summer", "Avalon", "Don't Get Around Much Anymore", "Nature Boy", "Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup", "Thous Swell" and "Unforgettable". (Soul, Vocalists) LP, Vinyl record album

Massive music from Ella Fitzgerald – 4CDs worth of sublime small group recordings – all of them live, and all of them previously unissued! 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! The first 3CDs 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 – and CD four features Ella returning to Hollywood for two more nights in 1962, with trio backing from Paul Smith on piano, Middlebrooks on bass, and Stan Levey on drums. There's a massive 77 tracks in all – handsomely package in a hardcover 7" square book – which also features beautiful color pages inside, lots of notes on the music, and design that's every bit as groovy as the old albums on Verve. Titles include "Joe Williams' Blues", "It's De-Lovely", "Lorelei", "I Can't Get Started", "Round Midnight", "Perdido", "Little White Lies", "Lover Come Back To Me", "Across The Alley From The Alamo", "Love For Sale", "Exactly Like You", "Mack The Knife", "Teach Me Tonight", "My Kind Of Boy", "It Had To Be You", "Hard Hearted Hannah", "All Of Me", and "Too Darn Hot/Ella's Twist". And, in case you're wondering, there's almost no repetition in the set at all – all discreet, unique tunes – not just the sort of rehash you might get in other concert box sets of this nature! CD

One of our favorite records from the early Sinatra years of Reprise – and one of the few documents of the talents of the legendary Joe E Lewis! After Sinatra famously played Lewis on screen, he furthered his tribute to the tragic figure by taping Joe at the Flamingo Hotel in Vegas – a wonderful live set presented here, with all the raw energy that made Joe a key inspiration for The Rat Pack! (Comedy/Spoken, Vocalists) LP, Vinyl record album

The colors are rich, but gentle too – like a palette of pastels, all sung by the lovely Claudine Longet! The album's got a slightly more mature feel than some of Longet's first for A&M – great Nick DeCaro arrangements that show some of the deeper elements creeping into pop at the end of the 60s – including some surprising use of acoustic guitar, which really helps transform the sound, and brings out an earthy, natural quality that makes Claudine sound sexier than ever! The sessions feature work by Randy Newman, Lyle Ritz, and Ron Elliott – and titles include "Pussywillows Cattails", "Catch The Wind", "Colours", "Bobbie (For Baby)", and "Hurry On Down". CD

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". 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

A real standout in the classic catalog of ECM – not only because the record's got a slightly different inspiration than most, but also because it seems to unlock some especially beautiful moments from players who could sound different in other settings on the label! As the title indicates, the tunes here all take inspiration from the poetry of Robert Creeley – but never in a mode that's got the usual jazz meets poetry approach – as Sheila Jordan sings the lyrics when they appear, with a sense of her own power that's very different than a more standard recitation – and which, to us, really feels a lot like her great vocal performances with Steve Kuhn for ECM. Kuhn is also in the group on piano, and other musicians include David Liebman on saxes, Lyle Mays on keyboards, and Bob Moses on drums – all working under the superb leadership of bassist Steve Swallow – who really outdid himself with the depth of feeling in this project. Titles include "Colors", "In The Fall", "She Was Young", "Some Echoes", "Ice Cream", and "You Didn't Think". (Jazz, Vocalists) CD

Hip stuff by Nancy – and a sophisticated album of soul tracks arranged and produced by Gene Page, in a string-heavy, slightly-funky style that reminds us of Gene's work with Barry White at the time. The tracks are all pretty hip – and include titles written by Stevie Wonder, Johnny Guitar Watson, Thom Bell & Linda Creed, Billy Page, and Tennyson Stevens. No standout tracks, but plenty of nice moments, and a good side of Nancy's career that isn't always given that much exposure. Titles include "Tell The Truth", "Try It, You'll Like It", "All In Love Is Fair", "There'll Always Be Forever", and "You're As Right As Rain". LP, Vinyl record album

A very cool collection of tracks from voices you might know more for their work on the screen – an array of British talents from the postwar years who were mostly known for their comedic performances in film and on TV! The word "thespians" is used here with a bit of wit – as most of these singers are ones from the lower-brow side of British entertainment – early situation comedies, Carry On films, and outlets like that – but given a really beautiful array of arrangements here, which help deliver some surprisingly great vocal performances! Some of these numbers are novelty tunes, others are a bit more straight – but overall, there's a nice sense of jazz and zing to the material – the kind of punch you'd expect if you saw their performances in a movie. Titles include "Postman's Knock" by Spike Milligan, "Alone Together" by Bernard Bresslaw, "Send For Me" by Terry Thomas, "It Had Better Be A Wonderful Life" by Barbara Windsor & Harry Fowler, "Three Nice Mice" by Max Bygraves, "I Like It" by Mike & Bernie Winters, "What About Me" by Bernard Cribbins, "Harry Brown" by Ian McShane, "Lonely For A Girl" by Oliver Reed, "We Go Together" by Eric Sykes & Hattie Jacques, and "Double Bunk" by Sid James & Liz Fraser. CD