Ann Hampton Callaway
Artist: Ann Hampton Callaway

At first, she may remind you of Barbra Streisand, but only when Streisand's voice is still in first gear. Unlike Streisand, who soon takes off for the stratosphere, when Ann Hampton Callaway revs her voice up, she reveals a husky alto that occasionally bridges into the soprano range and that suggests, among female singers, Sarah Vaughan's plush... Read More

Judy Garland in Hollywood: Her Greatest Movie Hits
Artist: Judy Garland

Judy Garland may have reached more ears via her movie roles than with any other medium, and this 23-track anthology assembles some of her most noteworthy performances from 1936 to 1963. All of these are the original soundtrack versions, not re-recordings, which means that while the fidelity on some cuts isn't as good as what you might be used to... Read More

V-Disc Recordings: A Musical Contribution by America's Best for Our Armed Forces Overse
Artist: Hoagy Carmichael

Unlike some of the other contributors to the V-Disc program, for the most part Hoagy Carmichael did not require an orchestra to back him, contenting himself with a piano accompaniment to his self-described "shaggy dog" voice. This leaves plenty of room for his individual interpretations of his own highly individual songs and makes for more sonic... Read More

I Know How to Do It
Artist: Barbara Morrison

Veteran singer Barbara Morrison has long had the versatility to sound sassy on blues-oriented material and coolly sweet on ballads. For this set, Morrison (whose style is flexible enough to handle swinging jazz, R&B and blues) is joined by lesser-known L.A. musicians, and (on a couple of tunes) guest trombonist Al Grey. The material that... Read More

Super Hits
Artist: Engelbert Humperdinck

Consumers should be wary of the budget-priced collection Super Hits; while it does include many of Humperdinck's best-known songs, the majority -- including "Release Me" and "After the Lovin'" -- are presented in live renditions which, while satisfactory, simply don't measure up to the original recordings. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide Read More

Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers at RKO
Artist: Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers

Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers is a stunning double-disc set featuring 35 tracks (including ten previously unreleased songs) culled from 11 musicals the pair made for RKO between 1933 and 1943, including The Gay Divorcee, Swing Time, Flying Down to Rio, Top Hat and The Sky's the Limit. The duo were at the height of their popularity and creativity... Read More

Coleccion Mi Historia
Artist: Engelbert Humperdinck
To Ella with Love
Artist: Ann Hampton Callaway

Ann Hampton Callaway has a strong reputation as one of the top cabaret singers of the 1990's but, unlike most others in that idiom, she is also a talented jazz singer. Callaway, who has a beautiful voice with a wide range, always swings while giving strong emphasis to the lyrics she is interpreting. Her ambitious and successful Ella Fitzgerald... Read More

Get Here
Artist: Dennis Rowland

Although a) this was released on Concord's commercial subsidiary Vista, b) there are a couple of unnecessary vocal duets (one apiece with Vanessa Rubin and Brenda Lee Eager), and c) electric keyboards are sometimes utilized, this is a much stronger release from Dennis Rowland than his previous Rhyme, Rhythm & Reason. The singer sounds much more... Read More

Judy - 32 JAZZ
Artist: Judy Garland

Producer Joel Dorn acquired rights to the audio and video recordings of the 1963-4 television series The Judy Garland Show, but then became more ambitious in creating this four-CD (plus half-hour VHS tape) box set. Apparently with the assistance of Garland fan Scott Schecter, Dorn acquired other Garland recordings, notably airchecks, and... Read More