TRACKLISTING
Why
On a Clear Day You Can See Forever
I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face
My Heart Laid Down and Died
Parker's Mood
I Will Take You Home Again Kathleen
Human
Try It Baby
The Oldest Story in the World
You Came a Long Way From St. Louis

A blues-tinged, deeply soulful balladeer in the tradition of Billy Eckstine and Al Hibbler, Ernie Andrews has made only a handful of recordings in a career stretching back to the late '40s. But as this 1964 recording makes clear, he is an outstanding vocalist, as capable of getting to the heart of a song as any of his more famous peers.

TRACKLISTING
Hello, Dolly
People
Can't Buy Me Love
The Sweetest Sounds
Miss Otis Regrets
My Man How High the Moon
Volare
The Thrill Is Gone
Memories of You
Lullaby of the Leaves
Pete Kelly's Blues

"The impression that emerges from a first hearing of these twelve performances reinforces one's previous convictions: The art of singing as it is practiced by Ella Fitzgerald is not merely an art of interpretation but also one of renovation and, in many cases, sublimation." This is no less true when she tackles "Hello, Dolly!" or the Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love" than it is when she interprets Cole Porter or Richard Rodgers.

TRACKLISTING
Bridges (Travessia)
Vera Cruz
Tres Pontas
Outubro (October)
Courage
Rio Vermelho
Gira Girou (Round 'n' Round)
Morro Velho
Catavento
Canção Do Sol (Saltworkers Song)

TRACKLISTING
I'm Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town
Stay Loose
If You Ain't Got It
One for Members
Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby?
Chain of Fools
Grabbin' Hold

The perennially hip and always incredible Jimmy Smith was not just the most successful and influential organist in jazz history; he could sing, too. This 1968 recording features plenty of Smith's gruff and soulful blues belting, as well as his usual top-notch organ-grinding. With Stanley Turrentine and Phil Upchurch.

TRACKLISTING
Sweet Slumber
I'm Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town
Past Forty
S.K. Blues
Late One Evening
Part Time Woman
Good Rocking Tonight
I Won't Tell a Soul
My Baby's Quit Me
My Money's Long This Morning, Baby

A master of the blues who was equally comfortable singing pop, r&b, or jazz, Jimmy Witherspoon sang about the heartaches, headaches, and dreams of the modern world with a mix of musical sophistication and unpretentious, country-style emotionalism. On this underappreciated 1967 recording, Witherspoon is accompanied by the equally soulful organist Brother Jack McDuff.

TRACKLISTING
Woman of the Ghetto
Call It Stormy Monday
Where Can I Go?
I'm Satisfied
I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free
Liberation Conversation
California Soul
Go Away, Little Boy
Looking Through the Eyes of Love
Anyone Can Move a Mountain

This album, one of Marlena Shaw's first, finds her dipping effortlessly into a variety of musical styles: pop-soul, blues, jazz, and more. Features the DJ favorite "California Soul" and Shaw's first recording of one of her signature numbers, "Go Away, Little Boy."

TRACKLISTING
Like Someone in Love
Detour Ahead
Three Little Words
I'll String Along With You
You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To
Speak Low
All of You
Thanks for the Memory

TRACKLISTING
I Wanna Be Loved
Don't Explain
Everybody's Somebody's Fool
Invitation
You're Crying
Let's Fall in Love
When Your Lover Has Gone
A Stranger in Town
God Bless the Child
Blue Gardenia
I Can't Face the Music
Sometimes I'm Happy

This is late-night music for romantic unfortunates -- the great Dinah Washington's highly personal take on the many shades of heartache and yearning brought on by the ups and downs of romance. With Quincy Jones and a first-rank jazz orchestra providing the accompaniment for Washington's distinctive vocals, feeling bad just doesn't get any better than this.