Tony Rice
Artist: Tony Rice

This eponymous release was the first of Tony Rice's many albums for the Rounder label, and hardcore bluegrass fans will probably consider it his best. Joined by an impressive roster of sidemen representing both the old and new schools of bluegrass playing (including David Grisman, J.D. Crowe, Jerry Douglas, and Darol Anger), Rice runs through a... Read More

The Girl Next Door - ENTERTAINERS
Artist: Doris Day

Nothing beyond the title offers a clue to the intentions of the compilers of this British budget album, but an examination of the contents reveals that, for the most part, they assembled an album of songs from Doris Day's movies. Day frequently appeared in movie musicals in the late 1940s and early 1950s, and she also recorded studio albums and... Read More

The Complete Standard Transcriptions
Artist: Doris Day

A collection of transcriptions recorded during 1952 strictly for use by radio stations filling time, The Complete Standard Transcriptions presents Doris Day in a relaxed setting rarely heard by even her fans. With the Page Cavanaugh Trio on the first five numbers and an intimate small group on the others, Day shines in her typically understated... Read More

The Heart of Christmas (Cuor' di Natale)
Artist: Sergio Franchi

Romantic tenor Sergio Franchi's Heart of Christmas warms up the holiday season with traditional hymns and two original songs: "The Heart of Christmas" and "Buon Natale." This CD is remastered from the original 1965 tapes. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide Read More

In Budapest
Artist: Ella Fitzgerald

Two things stand out on this previously unreleased concert recording from 1970: first, Ella's irrepressible energy and girlish sense of humor, which she indulges at every opportunity; second, her eclectic tastes, which allow her to follow Duke Ellington's "Satin Doll" with "Spinning Wheel," a Blood, Sweat & Tears song. And that's not to mention... Read More

Learn to Croon
Artist: Frank Sinatra & Tommy Dorsey

This 16-track companion to It's All So New is less interesting but just as entertaining, focusing on Sinatra and Dorsey's live broadcast covers of pop standards of the period. As annotator Will Friedwald points out, Dorsey and Sinatra were unusual (though not unique) as top-flight, cutting edge entertainers who made a habit of reaching back to... Read More

It's All So New
Artist: Frank Sinatra & Tommy Dorsey

This 20-song collection is a major addition to the Sinatra and Tommy Dorsey discographies. If most of the songs here aren't too familiar (apart from Irving Berlin's "Take Care, It's My Heart"), it's because most of them were submitted to Dorsey by amateur songwriters, part of a radio show gimmick. The result is a group of songs from Sinatra's... Read More

57 - In Concert
Artist: Frank Sinatra
Ella Fitzgerald's Christmas
Artist: Ella Fitzgerald

This 1968 hit album represented a change in style after her switch to the Capitol. It was re-released in 1978 as Ella Fitzgerald Sings Christmas. ~ David A. Milberg, All Music Guide Read More

I Got a Guy
Artist: Ella Fitzgerald

I Got a Guy collects 18 tracks of Ella Fitzgerald's sweet vocal swing, all presumably from the late '30s (though no recording notes are included). Though Fitzgerald's biggest hits of the period aren't present, that's actually a benefit for music fans -- her hits of the time usually consisted of pop-slanted material arranged for maximum airplay... Read More