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

'S Wonderful: The Great Gershwin Decca Songbook
Artist: George Gershwin

In the 1930s, '40s and '50s, no one had a more symbiotic relationship than Decca Records did with the music of George Gershwin. Gershwin's songs were the perfect interpretive fodder for the company's wide variety of pop and jazz artists, and with Decca's stronghold on the market (along with Columbia and RCA Victor), a lot of those tunes passed... 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

The Ultimate Collection
Artist: George Gershwin

George Gershwin: The Ultimate Collection is a nice double-disc set that collects definitive performances of Gershwin standards from Rhapsody in Blue to Funny Face. It's a wildly eclectic collection, containing cuts from Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Audrey Hepburn, Sarah Vaughan, Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, and the Boston Pops... Read More

Going Hollywood, Vol. 1: 1930-1936
Artist: Bing Crosby

This two-CD, two-and-a-quarter-hour set presents songs from the first 13 feature films in which Bing Crosby appeared, starting with The King of Jazz, in which he was part of a trio that sang with Paul Whiteman's Orchestra, and following to his major box office success as a star with Paramount Pictures. During this period, Crosby made separate... Read More

Havin' Fun
Artist: Bing Crosby

The first of two 1997 CDs to release the soundtrack appearances of Louis Armstrong on the Bing Crosby Chesterfield TV series (the follow-up release is Havin' More Fun) features plenty of hilarious moments. The mutual respect and love that Satch and Bing had for each other is obvious; the writing is inspired. and Armstrong is extremely funny,... Read More

Bing Crosby's Gold Records
Artist: Bing Crosby
Community Score: 9.00

Bing's Gold Records is a splendid collection of all of Crosby's 21 gold singles for Decca Records. Each song is represented in its original version, including "White Christmas," which is not often heard in its 1942 Academy Award-winning version. Among other highlights are "New San Antonio Rose," "Pistol Packin' Mama," "Jingle Bells," "Swinging... Read More

George and Ira Gershwin in Hollywood - RHINO
Artist: George Gershwin

Although George and Ira Gershwin were already well established as Broadway's hottest and finest writing team, they had to wait until the movies started talking to come westward to work their magic in films. This two-disc, 40-track deluxe anthology is largely produced through the auspices of Turner Classic Movies, which now owns the enormous MGM... Read More

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

Jack Jones Paints a Tribute to Tony Bennett
Artist: Jack Jones

It's always unfair when someone dismisses an artist altogether because of one corny tune he did. In the case of Jack Jones, there are those who denounce him as a cheesy Vegas lounge act because he provided the theme from the silly prime-time TV program The Love Boat. But to condemn Jones' entire career because of something cheesy he once stooped... Read More