An amazing collection of work from Jackie Ross – a singer who was arguably the greatest female soul artist in Chicago during the 60s! Jackie's got a really wonderful approach – sweet on top, but with a hard punch below – very much at the best level of some of Motown's heavyweights of the same period – but not nearly as well-known! That aspect makes this set a really fresh discovery – not just Jackie's few hits, but lots of other rare album and single material too – including a few unreleased tracks that really round out the collection wonderfully. And as you'd guess from Ace/Kent, the packaging and presentation is wonderful – not just crystal-clear quality to the recordings, but really rich notes and images that make the whole thing sparkle way more than any previous collection of Ross' work for Chess. Titles include "Everything But Love", "Selfish One", "Misty", "Wasting Time", "You Really Know How To Hurt A Girl", "Honey Dear", "My Square", "Stick To One", "Dynamite Lovin", "Take Me For A Little While", "I Dig His Style", "Trust In Me", "It's Going All The Way", "Jerk & Twine", "I've Got The Skill", and "Haste Makes Waste". ~ Dusty Groove
Totally great work from Chris Clark – a real surprise, given that we haven't really heard the singer since her Motown records of the 60s! Chris sounds wonderful here – every bit as soulful as before, but even more deeply expressive – yet in ways that aren't hokey or overdone at all. "Dream Or Cry" is a really wonderful tune – done with horns that almost have a Hi Records sort of vibe, and this warmly bubbling groove that pushes Clark even farther than before! That approach is repeated nicely on "Hang It Up" – then Chris steps into mellower territory with "Sleepin" – a really nice ballad with a gentle, almost jazzy vibe. ~ Dusty Groove
BEEGIE ADAIR & FRIENDS - CHRISTMAS COCKTAILSJazz piano great, Beegie Adair, leads a stellar line up of fellow jazz artists, in this swinging collection of some of their best Green Hill holiday recordings, creating and intoxicating mix of instrumental and vocal jazz tracks for holiday entertaining. Citing George Shearing, Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson and Erroll Garner among her influences, pianist, Beegie Adair has recorded over 30 albums, ranging from Cole Porter standards to Frank Sinatra classics to romantic World War II ballads. Her 6-CD American Songbook Collection of tunes by Rodgers, Gershwin, Kern, Ellington, Carmichael and Berlin became an instant collectible classic when it was released in 2002. Other Green Hill jazz artists showcased on this collection include Jaimee Paul, Jack Jezzro, Matt Belsante, Denis Solee, Leif Shires and more. ~ Amazon.com