A really surprising pairing of talents – and one that makes the album one of the real standouts from the early Bobby Darin years on Atco Records! Johnny Mercer was one of the coolest, grooviest songwriters of the 40s – and he was also a singer with a hell of a lot of charm – which makes him a perfect match here for Darin, who was a master showman right from the start! The pair trade lines wonderfully, and get the right sort of jazzy backings from Billy May – who knows how to keep things swinging, and lift the spirits of the set! The album starts and ends with the warm title cut "Two Of A Kind" – co-written by the pair – and other titles include some great Mercer compositions, plus other titles too – with tracks that include "Ace In The Hole", "East Of The Rockies", "Bob White", "Mississippi Mud", and "Who Takes Care Of The Caretaker's Daughter". LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning standout from Ray Charles' years on ABC Records – and a set that brings in a bit of hard-swinging jazz to the country-styled groove Ray was hitting at the time! Backings are by Ralph Burns, who keeps things pretty hip – not as modern as some of his 50s charts for other singers, but with some great horns that cascade beautifully alongside Ray's raspy vocals in the lead. The "road" title leads to a bunch of travel-themed tunes – but that approach also yields one of Charles' biggest classics – his version of "Georgia On My Mind" – heard here amidst other tracks that include "New York's My Home", "Moonlight In Vermont", "Deep In The Heart Of Texas", "Blue Hawaii", "Carry Me Back To Old Virginny", "Alabamy Bound", and "Mississippi Mud". (Soul, Vocalists) LP, Vinyl record album