Ole Buttermilk Sky
Artist: Hoagy Carmichael

Hoagy Carmichael recorded a few isolated singles on Decca Records in the late 1930s and early 1940s, then had an exclusive five-year relationship with the label from 1946 to 1951. Later in the '50s, he briefly recorded for Kapp Records, former Decca executive Dave Kapp's independent label. This long-overdue CD compilation draws upon that catalog... 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

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

Be My Love: Mario Lanza's Greatest Performances at MGM
Artist: Mario Lanza

Be My Love: Mario Lanza's Greatest Performances at M-G-M contains 20 tracks culled from five Joe Pasternak films Lanza performed in between 1949 and 1954: That Midnight Kiss, The Toast of New Orleans, The Great Caruso, Because You're Mine, and The Student. All of these selections are taken from the original motion picture soundtracks, which... Read More

Greatest Hits: The 60th Anniversary Collection
Artist: The Andrews Sisters

For the casual fan, this 16-song collection is the place to start, containing remastered versions of the trio's best known songs ("Bei Mir Bist Du Schein," "Hold Tight," "Beat Me Daddy Eight to the Bar," "Nice Work If You Can Get It," "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," "Beer Barrel Polka," etc.). There are no rarities here, and nothing that could be... 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

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