... LP, Vinyl record album

A great high-concept composition from Duke Ellington – one that rivals the earlier brilliance of his Liberian Suite! Like that one, vocals are a key part of this long-form work – a special performance done for the Century Of Negro Progress Exposition in Chicago in 1963 – with an all-star cast that includes Jimmy Jones both at the piano and conductor's stand; Joya Sherrill on vocals with the Irving Bunton Singers, Jimmy Grissom, Jimmy McPhail, and Lil Greenwood; Billy Strayhorn on celeste, Juan Amalbert on conga, and other familiar Ellingtonians in the larger group! The tunes have a mix of gospel and folk roots, turned towards more modern Ellington compositional modes – and almost all numbers feature vocals, including one with narration by Ellington himself. Titles include "Will You Be There", "Come Sunday", "David Danced", "Montage", "My Mother My Father", "My People", "The Blues Ain't", and "What Color Is Virtue". CD

Fabulous is right – as the set's a fantastic illustration of the genius of Charlie Rich – still in his more soulful mode here, working with Billy Sherrill production on a set of tracks that really fit the growing sophistication of his sound! LP, Vinyl record album

A record that begins with a question, and follows through with a sublime mix of social politics and spiritual energy! Pops Staples asserts himself a bit more than before with his songwriting here – including the title classic "Why (Am I Treated So Bad)", which went onto become one of THE anthems of the Civil Rights era! That energy follows in more original songs by Pops, and in his great reworkings of older traditional numbers – on a set that also has the group working with producer Billy Sherrill, who seems to give them even more power than before, but without commercializing their music at all. Titles include "Why", "I've Been Scorned", "I'm Gonna Tell God", "Move Along Train", "Step Aside", "King Of Kings", "What Are They Doing", and "Will The Circle Be Unbroken". LP, Vinyl record album

A surprisingly strong set of previously unreleased Johnny Cash – recorded with producer Billy Sherrill, mostly in 1984, but with a couple sessions from '81 – and it's honestly as great, and a heck of a lot better than a bunch of Johnny's music that actually DID see commercial release during the 80s! Our favorite Billy Sherrill productions are ones like this, where he's providing a clean, polished backdrop for hardscrabble honky tonk heroes, without compromising their gritty nature. He worked that kind of magic for Johnny Paycheck and George Jones, and it works just as well for Johnny. Johnny's voice is as rich and booming as ever – and it includes a couple duets with June Carter, and one with fellow Highwayman Waylon Jennings. Includes the great title track, "Baby Ride Easy", "She Used To Love Me A Lot", "After All", "I'm Movin' On", "If I Told You Who It Was", "Call Your Mother", "I Drove Her Out Of My Mind", "Tennessee", "Rock And Roll Shoes", "Don't You Think It's Come Our Time", "I Came To Believe" and a bonus Elvis Costello mix of "She Used To Love Me A Lot". CD

Two of the greatest voices in country music – paired together beautifully in this classic production by Billy Sherrill! Titles include their version of Willie Nelson's "Yesterday's Wine" – plus "After I Sing All My Songs", "Must've Been Drunk", "Silver Eagle", "No Show Jones", and "I Haven't Found Her Yet". LP, Vinyl record album

A great truck-themed album from bluegrass duo Jim & Jesse – one of those key records that shows the strange but fantastic merger of diesel themes and acoustic instrumentation! Most of the tunes here are tracks first made famous by other singers, but there's a great presentation that transforms the songs into Jim & Jesse's own – with balanced production by Billy Sherrill that brings in some key 60s country elements at times – but also leaves the boys to work with plenty of interplay of their own too. Titles include "Truck Drivin Man", "Lovin Machine", "Hot Rod Race", "Diesel On My Tail", "Sam's Place", "Ballad Of Thunder Road", "Girl On The Billboard", and "Tijuana Taxi". CD

A trio of fantastic duet albums from this legendary team – all presented in a single set! Me & The First Lady is the second record to pair the incredible vocals of George Jones and Tammy Wynette – and it also marks a real shift in the careers of both musicians – a rise to the more introspective, mature style that Jones would explore very strongly on his Columbia sides to come! Both singers were more upbeat in the 60s, and maybe had some more gimmicks to some of their songs – yet here, they come together in this very sophisticated style that's mindblowing – all put together with superb Billy Sherrill production. Titles include "A Lovely Place To Cry", "We Believe In Each Other", "The Great Divide", "The Ceremony", "We're Gonna Try To Get Along", "Lovin You Is Worth It", and "It's Been A Beautiful Life". We're Gonna Hold On is a set that's maybe marking some of the personal rift between George Jones and Tammy Wynette in its title – yet a record that still has a wonderfully unified feel between two of the most amazing voices in country music! The match of styles, moods, and moments is superb – way different than just the sort of playful male/female country that was forged in years past – and a real standard-setting performance that includes "The Jet Set", "We're Gonna Hold On", "Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms", "That Man Of Mine", "If Loving You Starts Hurting Me", and "The Woman Loves Me Right". Golden Ring is a stunning record from the duo of George Jones and Tammy Wynette – a set that could be easily written off as a reflection of their shaky relationship – yet instead the kind of material that has the pair continuing to plumb emotive and vocal depths that few other country singers could ever hope to touch! The album works wonderfully as a unified whole – a testament to the strengths and struggles of human relationships, delivered by two singers who had plenty of life under their belts by the time of the session – and who still know how to come together on their vocals in a way that's unlike anyone else before, then, or since. Titles include "Golden Ring", "Keep The Change", "Near You", "Even The Bad Times Are Good", "Did You Ever", "Tattletale Eyes", "Cryin Time", and "If You Don't Somebody Else Will". CD