Mixing the low-key folk-rock of Gravenhurst and PJ Harvey at her least hysterical, Sophie Hunger produced one of the better singer/songwriter albums to grace the European charts -- in this case, Swiss ones -- with 1983. The focus is firmly on the vocals, placed firmly in the forefront of the mix -- they are simply louder than the rest of the music -- but this is a clever producing decision, not the vanity of someone in love with her voice, as it could have been with a lesser performer: Hunger never forgets that she is there to write songs, not preach or show off her vocal cords. And write songs she does -- an impressive variety of them, in fact, from the rocking "Your Personal Religion" with its bluesy guitar in the middle to the quiet acoustics of "Travelogue" and the almost a cappella opener, and with the rest padded out by a quiet but involved mix of electronica beats suggesting a relaxed Massive Attack, guitar picking, sparse piano lines that clean the much-stained name of "cabaret music," and even dashes of brass and plastic synths where appropriate. The best thing about it, though, is that the music is amazingly cohesive but never dull -- Hunger goes for an introspective nighttime mood, sometimes elegiac, sometimes gloomy, and uses whatever tools she can think of to create it, all without wallowing in unnecessary melodrama. Not every cut stands up to the general standard -- the opening song is too quirky, for example, and some of the latter songs struggle for the same emotional impact that earlier tunes produce effortlessly -- but still, 1983 is as fine a brooding session as can be wished for.© Alexey Eremenko /TiVo

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The modus operandi of Ellington Is Forever, Vol. 2 is essentially the same as the first; Kenny Burrell gathered a great bunch of musicians together in a studio for a relaxed yet masterful tour through some of Ellington's best-known material. The sole exception to the Ellingtonia is the Strayhorn-penned "Take the 'A' Train," a song that will forever be associated with the Duke. Jimmy Jones provided a stunning solo reading of this composition on the first volume, but it gets a full band treatment on Vol. 2, and features a fantastic solo from Burrell, a bluesy romp through the changes. In fact, the leader seems to be a bit more present on this album compared to Ellington Is Forever, Vol. 1. This is not to say, however, that the excellent contributions of the many musicians on this record go without benefit of the spotlight. One only has to listen to Roland Hanna's solo piano introduction to "In a Sentimental Mood" or Philly Joe Jones' masterful brushwork on "I'm Beginning to See the Light" to realize the immense quality of the musicianship on display on this record. As on the first album, Ernie Andrews appears here on two tracks. His contributions, so essential to the overall quality of the first volume, are somewhat mixed here. His rendition of "I'm Just a Lucky So and So" is controlled and soulful, but his interpretation of "Satin Doll" seems a bit forced. However, this may seem this case only because the listener cannot help but compare it to the near-perfection of his performances on Vol. 1. Of historical note is the fact that this is the last recording to feature trombonist Quentin "Butter" Jackson, who passed away after the sessions were recorded but before the album could be released. Although he plays his horn with the confidence and expertise of a man who had been involved with some of the greatest bandleaders of all time (including Ellington), the most exquisite moment on this record is his singing on "Prelude to a Kiss." His soft, tremulous voice is frail and heart wrenching, and the fact of its inclusion alone is worth the price of admission. Burrell's initial plan was to release a volume in tribute to Ellington once a year, but this record and the one that preceded it were the only two albums in this proposed series that were ever made. One can only imagine what could have been if Burrell had continued. Alternately, and more positively, one can be glad that the only records that were released were as beautiful and as close to perfection as these two.© Daniel Gioffre /TiVo

When the Marvelettes’ “Please Mr. Postman” climbed to the top of the pop charts in 1961, it was not only a hit record, it was the crossover hit an ambitious and feisty little independent label out of Detroit, Motown Records, needed. The rest is history -- Marvin Gaye, the Temptations, the Supremes, the Four Tops, Smokey Robinson -- the Motown catalog is an endless treasure, and not the least of these is the wonderful recording legacy of the Marvelettes. Somehow the public wasn’t drawn to this fine singing trio quite as much as it was to the Supremes, but the quality and consistency of the Marvelettes' work at Motown proves that they were way more than just an opening act for the Diana Ross caravan. This four-CD set, the second multi-disc set in a series documenting the Marvelettes history at Motown (the first, 2009’s Forever: The Complete Motown Albums, Vol. 1, covered 1961 to 1965 and collected the group’s first six albums, plus singles, B-sides and rarities), compiles the group’s final four albums (1967’s The Marvelettes, 1968’s Sophisticated Soul, 1969’s In Full Bloom, and 1970’s The Return of the Marvelettes), along with non-LP singles, B-sides, and other rarities from the same time period, and documents the last chapter in this fine singing group’s Motown legacy -- a legacy that stands with any at the label. Without the Marvelettes, who knows what the history of Motown Records would have been like? Luckily, we don’t have to worry about it. Here’s why.© Steve Leggett /TiVo

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