Some players from Ray Charles' big band are joined by many ringers from the Count Basie and Duke Ellington bands for the first half of this program, featuring Charles belting out six songs arranged by Quincy Jones. "Let the Good Times Roll" and "Deed I Do" are highlights, and there are solos by tenorman David "Fathead" Newman, trumpeter Marcus Belgrave, and (on "Two Years of Torture") tenor Paul Gonsalves. The remaining six numbers are ballads, with Charles backed by a string orchestra arranged by Ralph Burns (including "Come Rain or Come Shine" and "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin'"). Charles' voice is heard throughout in peak form, giving soul to even the veteran standards.© Scott Yanow /TiVo

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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 Thomas Erlewine /TiVo

George Benson certainly is a good soul vocalist, fervently turning every phrase as if he meant every lovelorn syllable. Here on 20/20, though, he is shackled by stale pop/soul sentiments and one hack arrangement after another, assembled in no less than 17 studios! Russ Titelman, who shows only a flickering awareness of Benson's huge talent, is the producer, spelled twice by the even more commercial Michael Masser. The only bright spots are the tense high-tech title track and -- surprise -- an elegant Count Basie-like treatment of "Beyond the Sea," and with several jazz luminaries in the all-star band and Frank Foster and Ralph Burns handling the chart. There's only one instrumental, "Stand Up," and it ain't much.© Richard S. Ginell /TiVo

This CD reissue brings back a unique duet recording featuring pianist Oscar Peterson and vibraphonist Milt Jackson. One would expect the instrumentation to feature mostly ballads, but the opposite is true as O.P. and Bags romp through quite a few uptempo pieces. Highlights include "Oh, Lady Be Good," "Limehouse Blues," "Reunion Blues," and "Just You, Just Me." This is a successful and highly enjoyable outing.© Scott Yanow /TiVo

Let There Be Love is an Engelbert Humperdinck album that the 68-year-old singer recorded in August and September 2004 and released in March 2005. It seems worth pointing this out at the start because a potential buyer easily could think it's just another compilation. True, there is a sticker on the shrink wrap that reads, "Brand new album of classic love songs," but it then adds confusingly "plus 3 new tracks." Actually, all of the tracks are new; the point the sticker is trying to make is that three of the songs are previously unheard compositions being introduced by Humperdinck on the disc, while the rest are his versions of familiar tunes. Also, the album is being released on Universal's Hip-O label, which specializes in compilations. But beyond these marketing misfires, it can be difficult to distinguish new Humperdinck from old Humperdinck simply because he does pretty much the same thing every time out, croon love songs in his rich, easy tenor. The emphasis here is on a small band -- piano, guitar, bass, drums -- albeit with occasional augmentation by synth programming and other instruments (plus strings, of course), and that puts the focus more squarely on the singer. The song choices range across the decades with no particular regard to the stylistic upheavals popular music has undergone from, say, 1924, when "It Had to Be You" first became a hit, to 1995, when Bryan Adams topped the charts with "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?" Nor does it matter whether a song originated in R&B ("Stand By Me") or country ("When You Say Nothing at All"): Humperdinck and arranger Dave Hartley smooth over all differences. And sometimes they find a natural, such as Nick Lowe's "You Inspire Me," which may be one of the more recent compositions but sounds like it comes from 50-years-earlier. None of the new songs sound like automatic additions to the Humperdinck songbook, even though the singer seems more animated when singing them, particularly "Three Words Ain't Enough." At his age, there's no telling how many new recordings he will release; he ought to have his record label make more of a point of not confusing his fans when he does.© William Ruhlmann /TiVo

Available exclusively on Qobuz Time waits for no one…right? While times and tastes change, every so often a group fine tunes a durable mix of musical firepower and showbiz glitz and manages to defy the years. This first call, horn section-turned-band, has solved the aging issue with a practical formula: get in a groove, write punchy horn charts, consistently whip up a high-energy funk revue where the jams blend together and viola, you have a band that is now celebrating the almost unheard-of milestone of a half century together! Tower of Power has a tradition of marking every passing decade with a live album and for their 50th anniversary in 2018 they brought the house—17 musicians and a full string section—to the Fox Theater in their original stomping ground of Oakland, CA, and filmed and recorded over 20 tracks in front of a partisan crowd that sounds appropriately stoked. Though more than 60 musicians have passed through this band over the years, the first key to the band's longevity is the continued presence in their signature two trumpet-three saxophone attack of the group's two founding saxophone players, tenorman Emilio Castillo and baritone sax player Stephen "Doc" Kupka. Another essential element to the relentless tempos is the return of original drummer David Garibaldi, who deserves an ironman award for setting a lethal pace throughout. A special treat is that the other half of the band's classic original rhythm section, bassist Francis "Rocco" Prestia, appears on four tracks—his final live recordings with the band before his death in September 2020. Of the guests, it's good to hear SNL band director Lenny Pickett back in the fold and B-3 organist Chester Thompson adds several animated solos. While many of these hard funk horn jams are mixed together without a break, this long set contains many outstanding instrumental highlights. ToP, who have appeared as a backup band on records by artists as diverse as Little Feat, The Meters, John Lee Hooker and Elton John, slide comfortably into supercharged versions of their early hits like 1973's "What is Hip" and near the end, 1972's "You're Still a Young Man." A new tune "Stop" from 2018, vividly keeps the band's sound vital. Working hard to be an asset in a horn band, guitarist Jerry Cortez, makes his presence felt in a solo in "Can't You See (You Doin' Me Wrong)" And the band's best sweet soul number, "You're So Wonderful, So Marvelous," reappears here in a new, near-definitive version. At times, strong-voiced lead singer Marcus Scott's vocal enthusiasm verges on being obnoxious—not every tune needs multiple screams or a "Make some noise!" shout between verses. And while it may be time to retire the band's well-worn JB medley, "Diggin' on James Brown," the smooth professionalism here is terrific and it's impressive that the band manages to keep up a full-bore, whirlwind energy level throughout these 22 tracks. While viewing the accompanying video would undoubtedly add to the enjoyment, this is one fiery soul set: proof the horn-driven funk has a thousand variations and so perhaps…an eternal life. © Robert Baird/Qobuz