MONICA LEWIS — But Beautiful (1958-2000) FLAC (tracks), lossless

As the voice of Chiquita Banana for more than 14 years, a guest on Ed Sullivan's first TV variety show, appearances in more than ten motion pictures, active in entertaining troops during the Korean War, Monica Lewis attained a degree of popularity in the late 40s and early 50s. Beginning her career as a vocalist and co-host on such shows as The Chesterfield Hour and Beat the Band she had an active career until her marriage in 1956. Her comeback in 1987 resulted in renewed interest in her earlier recordings and several of them have been reissued. On this Fresh Sound reissue of the Jubilee label's But Beautiful Lewis is backed by Jack Kelly's guitar and ensemble, the members of which remain a mystery. They do an admirable job in setting an attractive musical framework for Lewis' voice. Most of the tunes are romantic ballads with a mid-tempo piece now and then, like "Isn't This a Lovely Day." Sounding a lot like Dinah Shore with a dash of Julie London, Lewis shows a nice clear contralto with excellent diction and good phrasing. She can also be "girl next door" cute as on "Do It Again."
While she was no threat to supplant other top jazz/pop singers of the day, she was pleasant to listen to. The one downside to the release is that there's only 33 minutes of music, a parsimonious allotment for a CD. Dave Nathan  
Tracklist :
1. But Beautiful 2:46 
Johnny Burke / James Van Heusen
2. Isn't This a Lovely Day? 2:30 
Irving Berlin
3. You Don't Know What Love Is 3:25  
Gene DePaul / Don Raye
4. You Make Me Feel So Young 2:19  
Mack Gordon / Josef Myrow
5. You'd Better Go Now 2:18  
Robert Graham
6. What'll I Do? 3:18  
Irving Berlin
7. Do It Again 2:27 
Buddy DeSylva / George Gershwin
8. But Not for Me 3:06  
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
9. Fools Rush In 2:17  
Rube Bloom / Johnny Mercer
10. Am I Blue 2:26 
Harry Akst / Grant Clarke
11. I'll Do Anything for You 2:46 
Cliff Friend / Lew Pollack
12. People Will Say We're in Love 3:53
Oscar Hammerstein II / Richard Rodgers
Credits :
Orchestra - Jack Kelly And His Ensemble
Monica Lewis - Vocals

JUDITH OWEN — Lost And Found (2005) Two Version | FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

You'll probably find this album in the jazz section, but don't be fooled. Singer/songwriter/pianist Judith Owen is to jazz what Richard Thompson is to rock & roll -- a member of the loyal opposition, someone whose roots are both centuries deeper and more broadly contemporary than any easy genre designation can account for. On her fifth album, she opens with a brooding voice-and-piano arrangement of Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water," and although her generally jazzy originals fill up most of the remainder of the program, she also takes excursions into both the jazz standard repertoire (a great version of "Night and Day," featuring Richard Thompson on guitar) and more pop-oriented fare (a slightly less revelatory take on the Police's "Walking on the Moon"). Her singing style is a sort of sultry cabaret croon, and almost always adds a slightly mysterious and subtly unexpected element to her interpretations -- whether it's the strangely separated scat vowels on "Train Out of Hollywood" or (less felicitously) her unnecessarily intense delivery on "These Foolish Things." Her own songs are some of the best things on this album, though her version of "Night and Day" is another clear highlight. Recommended. Rick Anderson 
Tracklist :
1.    Judith Owen–    Smoke On The Water 3:43
Composed By – Deep Purple
2.    Judith Owen–    Emily    4:05
3.    Judith Owen–    Sky High 5:52
Saxophone – Tom Scott
4.    Judith Owen–    Moonlight    3:26
5.    Judith Owen featuring Keb' Mo'–    Train Out Of Hollywood    4:36
6.    Judith Owen–    These Foolish Things    3:36
7.    Judith Owen featuring Cassandra Wilson–    Enough 3:39
Backing Vocals – Cassandra Wilson
8.    Judith Owen–    Famous Friends 3:48
Backing Vocals – Harry Shearer
9.    Judith Owen–    Down 4:38
10.    Judith Owen featuring Richard Thompson–    Night And Day 5:53
Acoustic Guitar, Backing Vocals – Richard Thompson
Composed By – Cole Porter
11.    Judith Owen–    Walking On The Moon 3:37
Composed By – Sting
12.    Judith Owen–    Bridges    4:08
– BONUS TRACKS –
13.    Judith Owen–    Dreaming    3:09
Credits :
Accordion – Amasi Miller
Acoustic Bass – Sean Hurley
Cello – Larry Corbett
Drums, Percussion – Debra Dobkin (tracks: 5, 7)
Drums, Percussion, Bass Guitar – Jimmy Branly
Electric Organ – Robert Walter (tracks: 6)
Harmonica – Tollak Ollestad (tracks: 10)
Pedal Steel Guitar – Greg Leisz
Percussion – Quinn 
Producer, Solo Vocal, Composed By, Piano, Electric Organ, Design – Judith Owen
Steel Guitar – Keb' Mo' (tracks: 5)

SILJE NERGAARD — Nightwatch (2003) Two Version | FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1    How Am I Supposed To See The Stars 5:36
Arranged By [String Arr.] – Magnus Lindgren
2    Once I Held A Moon 3:19
Arranged By [String Quartet Arr.] – Martin Östergren
Guitar – Tom Lund
Music By – Tom Lund
Saxophone – Magnus Lindgren
Voice – Georg Wadenius, Tom Lund
3    Dance Me Love 4:58
Arranged By [String Quartet Arrangment] – Martin Östergren
Trumpet – Peter Asplund
4    You Send Me Flowers 4:20
Backing Vocals [Additional] – Heine Totland
Guitar – Georg Wadenius
Percussion – Kenneth Ekornes
Vibraphone – Rob Waring
5    I Don't Want To See You Cry 4:41
Arranged By [String Quartet Arrangement] – Martin Östergren
Saxophone – Bendik Hofseth
Vocals [2nd] – Heine Totland
6    In A Sentence    4:32
7    Take A Long Long Walk 3:49
Arranged By [Horn Arr.], Saxophone – Magnus Lindgren
Music By – Nils Einar Vinjor
Trumpet – Peter Asplund
8    This Is Not América 4:39
Arranged By [Horn Arr.], Flute [Alto] – Magnus Lindgren
Flugelhorn – Peter Asplund
Guitar – Nils-Einar Vinjor
Written-By – David Bowie, Lyle Mays, Pat Metheney
9    Be Gone 3:57
Arranged By [Horn Arr.], Saxophone – Magnus Lindgren
Trumpet – Peter Asplund
10    Borrowing Moons 3:55
Guitar – Georg Wadenius, Hallgrim Bratberg
Trumpet – Arve Henriksen
11    Unbreakable Heart    3:33
12    On And On 5:24
Arranged By [String Arrangements] – Magnus Lindgren
Lyrics By – Silje Nergaard
Saxophone – Tore Brunborg
Credits :
Acoustic Bass – Harald Johnsen
Bass – BackaHans Eriksson
Cello – Christina Wirdegren Alin
Cello [String Quartet] – Anna Wallgren
Drums – Jarle Vespestad
Piano, Electric Piano [Fender Rhodes] – Tord Gustavsen
Viola – Mikael Rydh
Viola [String Quartet] – Jakob Ruthberg
Violin – Christian Bergqvist, Elisabeth Lagergren, Josef Cabrales-Alin, Per Hammarström
Violin [String Quartet] – David Björkman, Roland Kress
Vocals – Silje Nergaard

BRENDA LEE — Reflections in Blue (1967-1999) ユニバーサル女性ヴォーカル・コレクション～エレガンスへの誘い – 34 Series | FLAC (tracks), lossless

Reflections in Blue heralds a significant musical and tonal shift for Brenda Lee. A mature, potently melancholy collection of classic ballads both past and present, the album proved both a creative success and a commercial pitfall, failing to even chart in the U.S. Lee's signature energy and enthusiasm are absent here, replaced by a more adult intensity that burrows deep under the listener's skin. Songs like "I Will Wait for You," "Close to You," and "You'll Never Know" capture the singer at her most moving, transcending the pop and country trappings of her biggest hits to evoke the nocturnal poignancy of Frank Sinatra's landmark sessions with arranger Nelson Riddle. Jason Ankeny
Tracklist :
1 Here's That Rainy Day 3:27 
Composed By – Jimmy Van Heusen
Lyrics By – Johnny Burke
2 You'll Never Know 3:11 
Composed By – Harry Warren 
Lyrics By – Mack Gordon
3 Baby Won't You Please Come Home 3:38 
Songwriter – Charles Warfield, Clarence Williams
4 Can't Help Falling in Love 2:30 
Songwriter – George David Weiss, Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore
5 I'll Only Miss Him When I Think of Him 3:42 
Composed By – Jimmy Van Heusen
Lyrics By – Sammy Cahn
6 Am I Blue 4:30 
Composed By – Harry Akst
Lyrics By – Grant Clarke
7 If I Had You 4:25 
Songwriter – James Campbell, Reginald Connelly, Ted Shapiro
8 Close to You 3:07 
Songwriter – Al Hoffman, Carl Lampl, Jerry Livingston
9 Little Girl Blue 3:41 
Composed By – Richard Rodgers
Lyrics By – Lorenz Hart
10 I Will Wait for You 3:30
Composed By – Michel Legrand
Lyrics By – Jacques Demy
Translated By – Norman Gimbel
Credits :
Vocals - Brenda Lee  
Directed By, Producer – Charles Bud Dant 

ANNE DUCROS — Piano, Piano (2006) Two Version | APE + FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

There is little information about European jazz singer Anne Ducros within the liner notes to Piano, Piano, but she clearly endeared herself to each of the four guest pianists with whom she worked on her CD. She soars in the lush setting of "Never Let Me Go," where she packs an emotional punch, though her tripping over a few words slightly handicaps her interpretation of Billie Holiday's "God Bless the Child." One of Europe's greatest jazz pianists, Enrico Pieranunzi, joins her for the powerful rendition of "You Go to My Head" and a graceful take of "Moon and Sand." She came to the United States in order to work with Chick Corea, singing "Les Feuilles Mortes" (Autumn Leaves) in its original language in a terrific duet and adding some humorous horn-like scatting reminiscent of Ella Fitzgerald on-stage. Both her lyrical "My Foolish Heart" and explosive "Body and Soul" are just as effective. Another veteran European pianist, René Urtreger, is paired with Ducros for a gently loping duet of "I Thought About You" and anchoring the rhythm section for another Ella-like scat exhibition in the swinging "Just in Time." Benoît de Mesnay, who doubles on piano and Fender Rhodes in "Four" (where she once again scats up a storm) and joins her for the swinging interpretation of "Naima," is evidently her regular accompanist. All in all, this is a very enjoyable effort. Ken Dryden 

Tracklist :
1. Four (Miles Davis) 4:26
2. God Bless The Child (Billie Holiday / Arthur Herzog Jr.) 4:45
3. You Go To My Head (Haven Gillespie / J. Fred Coots) 6:25
4. Les Feuilles Mortes (Jacques Prevert / Joseph Kosma) 4:49
5. Never Let Me Go (Evans Jr. / Livingstone) 5:20
6. Gnossienne N°1 (Erik Satie) 6:56
7. I Thought Abut You (Jonny  Mercer / James van Heusen) 4:21
8. My Foolish Heart (Ned Washington / Victor Young) 5:35
9. Moon And Sand (Wilder / Palitz / Engvich) 5:14
10. Just In Time (Comden / Green / Styne) 3:59
11. Body And Soul (Sour / Heyman / Hollingworth) 4:40
12. Naima (John Coltrane) 5:15
Credits :
Chick Corea (4, 8, 11), Jacky Terrasson (2, 5), Enrico Pieranunzi (3, 9), René Urtreger (7, 10), Benoit de Mesmay (1, 6, 12) - Piano
Anne Ducros - Vocals
Bob Franceschini (1, 12) - Saxophone
Karl Jannuska (1, 3, 5, 12) Manhu Roche (2, 6, 9, 10) - Drums
Sal La Rocca - Double Bass