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 /TiVo

There is no overestimating the historical power and influence of Shania Twain's Come on Over. You can hear it in the music of Taylor Swift (all the way up through 1989, easily), as well as Carrie Underwood, Kelsea Ballerini, Carly Pearce, Kelly Clarkson, Maren Morris, latter day The Chicks, even Harry Styles. Its success—40 million copies sold and counting—freed up boundaries (for better or worse) for countless country acts, from Rascal Flatts to Dan + Shay, to be unashamed of going pop. The album's production, by Twain's now-ex husband Mutt Lange (who was previously best known for his work with AC/DC and Def Leppard), is an epoch in the country music timeline—much the way Chet Atkins' Nashville Sound was. While some of those production flourishes sound a bit dated on the three-disc remaster (including domestic and international versions plus a grab bag of collaborations and remixes) of Come on Over, these are still killer songs that would tear it up on country and/or pop radio today. "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" packs an even bigger dose of serotonin. Every aspect—guitar, fiddle, vocals—of "Love Gets Me Every Time" sounds so crisp and clear on both the US version and its international compatriot, famously stripped of the hollering fiddle at the front of the mix. Freshened-up "You're Still the One" glistens, the pedal steel sharp as ever against the gooey cloud of backing vocals. But want something different? There's also a fun 1999 live duet with Elton John turning his twang up to 11, as well as several thumping dancefloor remixes and a largely superfluous version from Twain's 2022 Las Vegas residency, with Coldplay's Chris Martin on piano. There's both the spirited and clicky original of "I'm Holdin' On to Love (To Save My Life)" and a more down-home take with Alison Krauss. The bluegrass queen makes a second appearance on a duet of "From This Moment On," from the Up! Close and Personal live album, offering a warmer, rounder take on the pristine original with Bryan White. A 1999 Miami concert collab on the song with Backstreet Boys puts everyone's vocal acrobatics on display. "Honey, I'm Home," always one of the most countrified tracks on the album, is slick as a whistle, and cowbell positively vibrates on "That Don't Impress Me Much" (and the line "OK, so you're Brad Pitt/ That don't impress me much" still holds up). And while remastering highlights how cheesy Lange's Eurovision-style production is on "Come On Over," Twain just sounds terrific. Viva Shania. © Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz

Among the many prodigious and tragic talents in the Prestige Records stable of the mid-'50s, pianist Mal Waldron was one of the most prodigious and tragic. Waldron's abilities on the piano made him an accompanist of choice (he was Billie Holiday's from early 1957 until her death); his style in group improvisational formats was daring and innovative, pushing the envelope of hard bop and post-bop into more progressive areas.  Additionally, his writing skills were among the scene's most notable. (Waldron had said that while at Prestige, he probably wrote more than 400 compositions.) Meanwhile, Waldron's debilitating heroin addiction led to a nervous breakdown that left him completely mentally incapacitated in the early '60s, forcing him to re-learn the piano. Although Waldron would end up being one of the leading lights of the avant-garde jazz scene of the late '60s and beyond, he never seemed to get the broader recognition that his talent deserved. If there's any album that could be presented as primary evidence in the case for Mal Waldron as an unsung titan, it would be Mal/2. Released the same year as his debut, this session finds Waldron augmenting and altering the core quintet that played on Mal/1. While that group of Julian Euell, Idrees Sulieman, Arthur Edgehill and Gigi Gryce was certainly skilled, the addition of John Coltrane's tenor on all of these cuts, along with alto work by either Jackie McLean or Sahib Shihab, and drums by either Ed Thigpen or Art Taylor ... well, it suffices to say that these performances are pushing the material to its limits. Although the original album was evenly divided between Waldron's original compositions and songbook standards, the electric personality of this group courses through all of the material here. From the opening notes of Cole Porter's "From This Moment On," Waldron and his accompaniment are absolutely on fire, bending and re-shaping songs in a bold manner that's due as much to the players' abilities as to his arrangement instincts. A definite cut above many of the Prestige blowing sessions that made their way to wax during this era. © Jason Ferguson/Qobuz

Shania Twain's second record, The Woman in Me, became a blockbuster, appealing as much to a pop audience as it did to the country audience. Part of the reason for its success was how producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange -- best-known for his work with Def Leppard, the Cars, and AC/DC -- steered Twain toward the big choruses and instrumentation that always was a signature of his speciality, AOR radio. Come on Over, the sequel to The Woman in Me, continues that approach, breaking from contemporary country conventions in a number of ways. Not only does the music lean toward rock, but its 16 songs and, as the cover proudly claims, "Hour of Music," break from the country tradition of cheap, short albums of ten songs that last about a half-hour. Furthermore, all 16 songs and Lange-Twain originals and Shania's sleek, sexy photos suggest a New York fashion model, not a honky tonker. And there isn't any honky tonk here, which is just as well, since the fiddles are processed to sound like synthesizers and talk boxes never sound good on down-home, gritty rave-ups. No, Shania sticks to what she does best, which is countrified mainstream pop. Purists will complain that there's little country here, and there really isn't. However, what is here is professionally crafted country-pop -- even the filler (which there is, unfortunately, too much of) sounds good -- which is delivered with conviction, if not style, by Shania, and that is enough to make it a thoroughly successful follow-up to one of the most successful country albums by a female in history.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

Shania Twain's second record, The Woman in Me, became a blockbuster, appealing as much to a pop audience as it did to the country audience. Part of the reason for its success was how producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange -- best-known for his work with Def Leppard, the Cars, and AC/DC -- steered Twain toward the big choruses and instrumentation that always was a signature of his speciality, AOR radio. Come on Over, the sequel to The Woman in Me, continues that approach, breaking from contemporary country conventions in a number of ways. Not only does the music lean toward rock, but its 16 songs and, as the cover proudly claims, "Hour of Music," break from the country tradition of cheap, short albums of ten songs that last about a half-hour. Furthermore, all 16 songs and Lange-Twain originals and Shania's sleek, sexy photos suggest a New York fashion model, not a honky tonker. And there isn't any honky tonk here, which is just as well, since the fiddles are processed to sound like synthesizers and talk boxes never sound good on down-home, gritty rave-ups. No, Shania sticks to what she does best, which is countrified mainstream pop. Purists will complain that there's little country here, and there really isn't. However, what is here is professionally crafted country-pop -- even the filler (which there is, unfortunately, too much of) sounds good -- which is delivered with conviction, if not style, by Shania, and that is enough to make it a thoroughly successful follow-up to one of the most successful country albums by a female in history.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

Read My Lips is above all the work of an angry man. As an advocate for gay rights and member of Act Up New York, Jimmy Somerville took off from the realization that a certain number of musicians, labeled as progressive and often gay themselves, would give up on addressing politics as soon as they made a record. With Somerville, music is political. At the end of the 1980s, the former lead of Bronski Beat and The Communards, with his countertenor voice, decided to throw himself into a joyful protest with the danceable rhythms of Read My Lips. In the song that gives this first solo album its title, the Scottish singer implores the listener to take action and make their voice heard (“We’ll shout as loud as we can”). There’s also a passing wink to the disco hit “No More Tears” by Barbara Streisand and Diana Ross (“Enough is Enough”). The same battle cry rings on “And You Never Thought This Could Happen to You” (“There’s a power we command, if united we stand, fighting for our rights”). The album is also an homage to the pop music of the 60s and 70s: we’re reminded of the hits of Burt Bacharach in “Don’t Know What To Do”, while the covers of The Bee Gees’s “To Love Somebody” and Françoise Hardy’s “Comment te dire adieu” shine with their cheerful energy. Regarding the latter track – the real powerhouse of the album – it manages to keep a certain retro charm (strings and a jazz trumpet solo) all while harmonizing perfectly with its time. The second part of this double album Expanded consists of several remixes (including one of “You Make Me Feel” by William Orbit), as well as demo versions that will especially delight Jimmy Somerville fans. ©Nicolas Magenham/Qobuz

A companion album to the 2022 documentary Not Just a Girl, this is a tight, no-nonsense collection of Shania Twain songs that's heavy on the hits. Some of these hits, such as 1996's "You Win My Love," have been eclipsed by Twain's blockbusters, so it's notable that they're here and "That Don't Impress Me Much" isn't, but that platinum hit is the only titanic number missing in action: "You're Still the One," "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!," "Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under," and "Any Man of Mine" are all here. That makes for a satisfying, if not quite definitive, listen.© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

In some ways, A Swingin' Affair! is "Songs for Swingin' Lovers!, Pt. 2," following the same formula of Sinatra's hit album of the previous year. Beneath the surface, there are enough variations on A Swingin' Affair! to make it a distinctive, and equally enjoyable listen. The most noticeable difference between the two records is their basic approach. Where Songs for Swingin' Lovers! swung hard but managed to stay rather light, A Swingin' Affair! is a forceful, brassy album -- it exudes a self-assured, confident aura. It is a hard, jazzy album. However, the attack is more brash. © Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

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 /TiVo

Moving ever closer to becoming his generation's Keith Jarrett, Live in Tokyo finds pianist Brad Mehldau delving into a solo piano performance in February of 2003 with a quiet intensity, mixing a kind of studied jazz formalism with a lyrical "train-of-thought" avant-gardism. Ever the iconoclast, Mehldau tackles such varied compositions as Nick Drake's "Things Behind the Sun," Thelonious Monk's "Monk's Dream," a couple Gershwin standards, and Radiohead's "Paranoid Android." Clocking in at almost 20 minutes, "Android" stands as the epic and expansive centerpiece of this intense, cerebral, and beautiful album.© Matt Collar /TiVo

Some of the songs on this set by bop-influenced altoist Charles McPherson (reissued on CD in 1997) use boogaloo and pop rhythms. The repertoire ranges from a couple of OK originals ("Little Sugar Baby" and "Like the Way You Shake That Thing") to a recent show tune ("Once in a Lifetime") and a few standards. Pianist Cedar Walton, the young guitarist Pat Martino, bassist Peck Morrison and drummer Lennie McBrowne form the strong supporting cast. Not one of McPherson's most essential releases, as the material and arrangements are just not that strong; nevertheless, the altoist still plays well, and his fans will want to pick up this reissue.© Scott Yanow /TiVo