CLÃ: "Lustro"

Edição original em CD Vadeca 7243.5.26506.2.0 
(PORTUGAL 2000, Maio 22)

Perhaps Clã's finest, putting to rest some of the forgettable funk lite of previous years and concentrating on honing their songwriting. Getting talented people like Manuel Cruz or Sérgio Godinho to write some lyrics was a cunning move as well, drawing from the sinergy some of their best tracks, such as "Sopro do Coração". Apart from "Fahrenheit" and the hit single "Dançar na Corda Bamba", "Lustro" is also more subtle and poppy than anything they had done before. And I've got to say that the lovely "Sangue Frio" is quite likely the great Clã song. (in RateYourMusic)

Este é um album que rivaliza o estatuto que "Kazoo" teve de trazer os Clã para a ribalta, passe a expressão. Embora sentimentalmente reconheça "Kazoo" como o melhor album, na minha opinião, dos Clã, este "Lustro", em termos qualitativos, é superior, e galvanizou o nome de Manuela Azevedo e companhia no panorama musical português, granjeando-lhes a eternidade. Desde o primeiro hit a sair para as rádios "Dançar na Corda Bamba", que até se poderá considerar a menos boa performance em todo o album, temos sons inolvidáveis, e também pouco usuais não só aos próprios Clã, como a tudo o que até então se tinha feito na música portuguesa dita "mainstream": "Fahrenheit", dotado de grande energia, "Bem Versus Mal", uma poderosa balada, "Depois do Amor", uma das melhores músicas do album, a par com "O Sopro do Coração", em que todo o potencial vocal de Manuela Azevedo se revela para nos desvendar uma inolvidável canção romântica, assobiada e contarolada milhares de vezes pelos casais mais apaixonados. Em resumo, um album ao qual ninguém sairá idiferente, um album que todo o apreciador de música portuguesa deverá ter na sua prateleira, não só a ganhar pó, mas também a sair de vez em quando para uma leitura óptica... (in RateYourMusic)

NAT 'KING' COLE: "After Midnight"

Original released on LP Capitol W 782

(US, January 1957)

Once Nat 'King' Cole gave up playing piano on a regular basis and instead focused on a series of easy listening vocal albums, jazz fans longed for him to return to his first love. These 1956 studio sessions made up Cole's last jazz-oriented disc, where he played piano and sang on every number, joined by several guest soloists. Cole's vocals are impeccable and swinging, while his piano alternates between providing subdued backgrounds and light solos that don't reveal his true potential on the instrument. Willie Smith's smooth alto sax buoys the singer in the brisk take of "Just You, Just Me." Harry "Sweets" Edison's muted trumpet complements the leader in his interpretation of "Sweet Lorraine." Composer Juan Tizol's valve trombone and former Cole sideman Jack Costanzo's bongos add just the right touch to the brisk take of "Caravan." Stuff Smith's humorous, unusually understated violin is a nice touch in "When I Grow Too Old to Dream." It's hard for any Nat 'King' Cole fan to ignore these important sessions. [The original version of this release featured a dozen tracks, later expanded to 17 in the '80s with the discovery of some unreleased material. Yet another track, the alternate take of "You're Looking at Me," was also found and added to reissues beginning in the late '90s.] (Ken Dryden in AllMusic)

Lisa Is Back To Earth

Original released on CD BMG 74321.61463.2

(EU, 1998)

At first, Lisa Ekdahl's squeaky, girlish voice may seem inappropriate for the pop standards she has chosen to make her trade, but given some time, her voice and laid-back style become endearing. True, she occasionally seems mannered and borrows heavily from her inspirations (most notably Billie Holiday), but she shows signs of developing her own style throughout her second American album, "Back to Earth". Like its predecessor, "When Did You Leave Heaven", "Back to Earth" was recorded with the Peter Nordahl Trio and has a charming mellow vibe. Nordahl has an elegant turn of phrase and his rhythm section - drummer Ronnie Gardiner and bassist Patrik Boman - has a light touch that keeps the focus on Ekdahl. It is true that her voice may strike some listeners as odd, but it's girlish, not thin, which means she can nail the emotions of the songs. There may be a few missteps here and there, but she delivers ballads ("What Is This Thing Called Love?," "The Laziest Gal in Town," "Now or Never") as well as swing ("Down with Love," "I Get a Kick Out of You"). Yes, the selections are a little predictable and Ekdahl is a bit of an acquired taste, but ultimately, "Back to Earth" is quite charming. (Stephen Erlewine in AllMusic)

PETER CINCOTTI: "East Of Angel Town"

Original released on CD Warner Bros

(EU 2007, September 18)

Peter Cincotti's "East of Angel Town" is the vocalist/pianist's first album since his 2004 sophomore effort, "On the Moon". That album found the onetime neo-crooner moving from jazz standards to more contemporary pop-oriented original material. "East of Angel Town" finds Cincotti having fully made the crossover move, and fittingly the album features production by crossover Svengali David Foster as well as Humberto Gatica and Jochem van der Saag. Foster has helmed similar efforts from such genre-bending artists as vocalists Josh Groban and Michael Bublé. That said, neither of those artists has ever gone quite as far toward the pop/rock vein as Cincotti does here. Still displaying a knack for jazz and blues-inflected melodies, Cincotti nevertheless dives headlong into the rock world. Tracks such as the sharp-tongued and urbane leadoff title track, with its hard-edged guitar backgrounds and lyrics detailing the superficial lives of N.Y.C. scenesters, bring to mind the theatrical '70s singer/songwriter pop of both Rupert Holmes and Steely Dan. 

In fact, Steely Dan seem to be the biggest touchstone for Cincotti here. Which isn't to say he rips off them off - on the contrary, as the production on "Angel Town" is so thoroughly modern, you'd never mistake it for classic Steely Dan. Nonetheless, Cincotti's mix of jazz, blues, and crisply drawn singer/songwriter lyrics clearly draws much inspiration from Steely Dan and other eclectic artists of the '70s and '80s, including Elton John and Billy Joel. Keeping in that tradition, it's not just the rockers, but primarily Cincotti's ballads that really stick in your ears, with both "Lay Your Body Down (Goodbye Philadelphia)" and "Cinderella Beautiful" delivering a warm, melancholy afterglow vibe. Similarly, "Man on a Mission" is a perfect soft rock ballad. Taken as a whole, "East of Angel Town" is a somewhat sprawling and stylistically varied pop album that finds Cincotti meandering all over the creative map. However, in the world of crossover singer/songwriter pop that's actually kind of the goal, and in that sense Cincotti is right on course. (Matt Collar in AllMusic)

DIANA KRALL: "From This Moment On"

Original released on CD Verve 80007323-02

(EU 2006, September 19)

Returning to the large ensemble sound of her 2005 success, "Christmas Songs", pianist/vocalist Diana Krall delivers a superb performance on 2006's "From This Moment On". Although having received a largely positive critical response for her creative departure into original singer/songwriter jazz material on 2004's "The Girl in the Other Room", here listeners find Krall diving headlong into the Great American Songbook that has long been her bread and butter. While she's always been a pleasant presence on album, Krall has developed from a talented pianist who can sing nicely into an engaging, classy, and sultry vocalist with tastefully deft improvisational chops. But it's not just that her phrasing and tone are well-schooled. Having long drawn comparisons to such iconic and icy jazz singers as Julie London and Peggy Lee, Krall truly earns such high praise here. In fact, tracks like "Willow Weep for Me" and "Little Girl Blue" are drawn with such virtuosic melancholy by Krall as to be far and away some of the best ballads she's put to record. Similarly impressive big swing numbers like "Come Dance with Me" showcase her muscular rhythmic chops both vocally and on the keys. Backing her here is the always wonderful Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, featuring some punchy and solid solo spots by trumpeter Terell Stafford, as well as the rhythm section talents of guitarist Anthony Wilson, bassist Robert Hurst, and drummer Jeff Hamilton. (Matt Collar in AllMusic)

HARRY CONNICK, Jr.: "Your Songs"

Original released on CD Columbia 88697607812

(EU 2009, September 22)

Much like 2001's "Songs I Heard" and 2004's "Only You", 2009's "Your Songs" finds vocalist/pianist Harry Connick, Jr. coming up with an urbane and passionate set of American popular songs and contemporary pop classics that he both performs and orchestrates. While his previous recordings leaned toward the classicist side - "Only You" featured songs of the '50s and '60s - "Your Songs" features a more eclectic mix of standards and pop songs with Connick's own lush orchestration lending an overall aesthetic of languid romanticism. To this end, Connick turns Billy Joel's "Just the Way You Are" into a kind of Herb Alpert-inspired '60s pop nugget and, conversely, the Beatles' 1964 classic "And I Love Her" gets a kind of '70s Latin lounge feel with classical guitar flourishes. However, Connick isn't only concerned with reworking tunes in unexpected ways; on the contrary, longtime fans of Connick's swinging neo-crooner work will be pleasantly surprised by his straightforward takes on "Just the Way You Look Tonight" and "Some Enchanted Evening." Similarly engaging are his renditions of such rock-oriented tunes the album's Elton John title track, his low-key version of Don McLean's "And I Love You So," and the Carpenters' "(They Long to Be) Close to You." Ultimately, "Your Songs" is a classy and feel-good stroll of an album. (Matt Collar in AllMusic)

NORAH JONES: The Second Album

Original released on CD Blue Note 7243.5.84800.0.9

(EU 2004, February 10)

It may be far too obvious to even mention that Norah Jones' follow-up to her 18-million-unit-selling, eight-Grammy-winning, genre-bending, super-smash album "Come Away with Me" has perhaps a bit too much to live up to. But that's probably the biggest conundrum for Jones: having to follow up the phenomenal success of an album that was never designed to be so hugely popular in the first place. "Come Away with Me" was a little album by an unknown pianist/vocalist who attempted to mix jazz, country, and folk in an acoustic setting - who knew? "Feels Like Home" could be seen as "Come Away with Me Again" if not for that fact that it's actually better. Smartly following the template forged by Jones and producer Arif Mardin, there is the intimate single "Sunrise," some reworked cover tunes, some interesting originals, and one ostensible jazz standard. These are all good things, for also like its predecessor, "Feels Like Home" is a soft and amiable album that frames Jones' soft-focus Aretha Franklin voice with a group of songs that are as classy as they are quiet. Granted, not unlike the dippy albeit catchy hit "Don't Know Why," they often portend deep thoughts but come off in the end more like heartfelt daydreams. Of course, Jones could sing the phone book and make it sound deep, and that's what's going to keep listeners coming back.

What's surprising here are the bluesy, more jaunty songs that really dig into the country stylings only hinted at on "Come Away with Me". To these ends, the infectious shuffle of "What Am I to You?" finds Jones truly coming into her own as a blues singer as well as a writer. Her voice has developed a spine-tingling breathy scratch that pulls on your ear as she rises to the chorus. Similarly, "Toes" and "Carnival Town" - co-written by bassist Lee Alexander and Jones - are pure '70s singer/songwriting that call to mind a mix of Rickie Lee Jones and K.D. Lang. Throw in covers of Tom Waits and Townes Van Zandt along with Duke Ellington's "Melancholia," retitled here "Don't Miss You at All" and featuring lyrics by Jones, and you've got an album so blessed with superb songwriting that Jones' vocals almost push the line into too much of a good thing. Thankfully, there is also a rawness and organic soulfulness in the production that's refreshing. No digital pitch correction was employed in the studio and you can sometimes catch Jones hitting an endearingly sour note. She also seems to be making good on her stated desire to remain a part of a band. Most all of her sidemen, who've worked with the likes of Tom Waits and Cassandra Wilson, get writing credits. It's a "beauty and the beast" style partnership that harks back to the best Brill Building-style intentions and makes for a quietly experimental and well-balanced album. (Matt Collar in AllMusic)

NORAH JONES Debut Album

Original released on CD Blue Note 7243.5.32088.2.0

(EU 2002, February 26)

Norah Jones' debut on Blue Note is a mellow, acoustic pop affair with soul and country overtones, immaculately produced by the great Arif Mardin. (It's pretty much an open secret that the 22-year-old vocalist and pianist is the daughter of Ravi Shankar.) Jones is not quite a jazz singer, but she is joined by some highly regarded jazz talent: guitarists Adam Levy, Adam Rogers, Tony Scherr, Bill Frisell, and Kevin Breit; drummers Brian Blade, Dan Rieser, and Kenny Wollesen; organist Sam Yahel; accordionist Rob Burger; and violinist Jenny Scheinman. Her regular guitarist and bassist, Jesse Harris and Lee Alexander, respectively, play on every track and also serve as the chief songwriters. Both have a gift for melody, simple yet elegant progressions, and evocative lyrics. (Harris made an intriguing guest appearance on Seamus Blake's "Stranger Things Have Happened".) Jones, for her part, wrote the title track and the pretty but slightly restless "Nightingale." She also includes convincing readings of Hank Williams' "Cold Cold Heart," J.D. Loudermilk's "Turn Me On," and Hoagy Carmichael's "The Nearness of You." There's a touch of Rickie Lee Jones in Jones' voice, a touch of Bonnie Raitt in the arrangements; her youth and her piano skills could lead one to call her an Alicia Keys for grown-ups. While the mood of this record stagnates after a few songs, it does give a strong indication of Jones' alluring talents. (David R. Adler in AllMusic)

We Were The Young Ones!

Original released on LP Columbia (EMI) 33SX 1384

(UK 1961, December 15)

Cliff Richard's third movie was his first to be simultaneously granted a full soundtrack album, as opposed to the four-track EPs which accompanied "Serious Charge" and "Expresso Bongo". It was, however, also the first to be conceived as a full-fledged musical, and the soundtrack captures the sheer exuberance and joy of that concept. The story of a millionaire's pop-singing son who helps save a local youth club from closure, "The Young Ones" was promoted upon release as "the first film ever to have three hits in the Top 10" - a stupendous claim which actually sold itself short. Richard's "When the Girl in Your Arms" and the million-selling title track were joined not only by the Shadows' "The Savage," but also by the inclusion of "Living Doll" in the vaudeville routine. Aside from the Shadows (appearing in both instrumental and vocal roles), Richard is also accompanied by singer Grazina Frame - the pair duet on "Nothing Is Impossible," while Frame alone performs "No-One for Me But Nicky." The implausibly polite-sounding Michael Sammes Singers, too, throw their considerable weight behind several performances, including "Mambo" and the aforementioned vaudeville routine, an eight-minute medley of corny jokes and light-hearted music which, unfortunately (but hardly surprisingly) works a lot better on film than on record.

As a listening experience, then, the highlights of "The Young Ones" tend to be those you would expect - Richard's solo performances ("Got a Funny Feeling," "We Say Yeah," "Lessons in Love") and the hit singles. Nevertheless, it remains an historic release, as its title track became the first single by a British artist ever to enter the chart at number one (on January 11, 1962), and only the fourth overall. Another domestic record was set by the song's six-week tenure in the pole position, a record which Richard retained until the Shadows, of all people, snatched it for themselves. The soundtrack itself topped the chart for a further six weeks, and spent longer on the U.K. listings than any other Cliff Richard album before or since. And finally, "The Young Ones" itself remains one of the highest-grossing homegrown music films in British cinema history. Just don't expect the album to be as much fun as the movie. (Dave Thompson in AllMusic)

The Sweet Beat Of LOUISE CORDET

Louise Cordet (born Louise Boisot, 8 February 1945, in England) was an English pop singer who also sang in French, best known as a one-hit wonder for her 1962 single, "I'm Just a Baby". Louise Cordet is the daughter of Captain Marcel Boisot of the Free French Air Force and the French-born Greek actress Hélène Cordet. In 1940, as a trainee cadet pilot with no more than 20 hours' flying time, her father flew a Morane 315 training aircraft without navigation equipment or maps from Meknès in Morocco to Gibraltar in response to Charles de Gaulle's appeal of 18 June. Her mother's parents helped Prince Andrew and Princess Alice of Greece after their exile in 1922, resulting in a lasting friendship between the two families. Cordet is a goddaughter of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and was educated first at the French Lycée in Kensington, London, and then at a convent school. When she began singing she took her stage name from her mother, Hélène Cordet, who had adopted the surname early in her own professional career, as an actress and TV hostess. After signing to Decca Records, she released "I'm Just a Baby" in 1962, which hit No. 13 on the UK Singles Chart. The song was composed by Jerry Lordan and produced by the former Shadows drummer Tony Meehan. 

She appeared in the films "Just for You" and "Just for Fun" in 1963. Cordet undertook tours with the Beatles, Roy Orbison and Gerry and the Pacemakers. Gerry Marsden is said to have initially written the song "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying" for Cordet, though the Gerry and the Pacemakers recording was released almost simultaneously, in April 1964. She recorded a four-track EP for French Decca – three tracks in French (including a French-language version of the English song, "Around and Around", plus her version of the Beatles' song "From Me to You"). Her final single was a cover version of the Motown tune "Two Lovers". Composed by Smokey Robinson, "Two Lovers" featured Jimmy Page on guitar on Cordet's version. She also toured in 1963 with Paul & Paula, Tony Meehan and Jet Harris, with the concert promoter Arthur Howes, but by 1965 she had stopped recording. She served as French pronunciation adviser at Marianne Faithfull's 11 May 1965 Decca Records recording session. She is married to a Greek national and has three children: the eldest son is the singer Alexi Murdoch. She now lives in Greece with a home also in London. (in wikipedia)

SHOCKING BLUE: "Scorpio's Dance"

Original released on LP Pink Elephant PE 877 002

(NETHERLANDS 1970, August 29)

Shocking Blue's third album was partly recorded in New York and continues the band's exploration of Americana and country music, although its style is firmly rooted in rock. "Alaska Country" is one of the most obvious references to America, but "Sally Was a Good Old Girl" is a cover of an early-'60s country hit by songwriter Hank Cochran; Shocking Blue's rendition chugs along in a rock groove that reveals the source of its material with a touch of banjo. As always, the focal point is the inimitable voice of Mariska Veres, but songwriter/guitarist Robby VanLeeuwen shows no sign of a sophomore slump. There isn't an obvious hit single candidate but "Scorpio's Dance" makes up for it with solid consistency. "Daemon Lover" is moody and mesmerizing, and the title track is a spaghetti western soundtrack in search of a film (the cover photo, appropriately enough, was shot in a cactus field). "I Love Voodoo Music" is colored with bongos and jungle sound effects, while "Water Boy" sees the return of VanLeeuwen's sitar. It's a diverse collection of songs that reveals the group's artistic growth but, in America at least, saw no chart action. (Greg Adams in AllMusic)

SQUARE SET: THE FIRST 2 ALBUMS

Original released on LP Continental ZB 8167

(South Africa, 1967)

The Square Set was a wonderful No 1 hit parade South African band, exported to many countries. The group started one Autumn day in 1966. Neville Whitmill, Derek Marks and Kieth Moffat met Nol Klinkhamer with the idea of making music professionaly. Composition, arrangements and rehearsals went on for 6 months before the band presented itself to the public. "Silence is Golden", their  own composition, went on the No1 within 3 months of release. "Thats What I Want" made it to no1 in South America (both Brazil and Argentina) and Portugal in 1971/1972 respectively. The band went on to create 4 full albums with great successes in South Africa, South America, Portugal, Angola, Mozambique, Belgium Congo and many more countries. Later, some other artists joined the band: Don Robertson (drums), Malcolm Postlethwaite (replaced Robertson in September 1967), Mercia Love (vocals since November 1967), Mike Faure (sax since 1968), and in 1972, Johnny Boshoff (bass) and Tony Moore (drums). The band broke-up that year, but now, three decades after, they're still on the road (with only Derek Marks from the original line-up). See their page in Facebook.

Original released on LP Gallotone GALP

(South Africa, 1968)

 The next images are from an article written by journalist Pamela Turnbull and released in magazine Personality (Teenage Suplement), in 1967, November 23.