'70s On 7
- Your Smiling Face-James Taylor (Too often, how-lucky-I-am-to-be-with-you songs err in being too overwrought. Taylor's song escapes this trap, thanks to an unusually uptempo arrangement, resulting in one of his best hits.)
- The Finest-The S.O.S. Band (An of-its-time '80s groove that deserves more airplay; I wonder if any college or noncommercial station has ever played The Human League's "Human" before it.)
- Ill Bill-Jason Marsalis Vibes Quartet (Like the opening theme of "Frasier?" Expand your vibraphone palette gradually with this engaging track.)
- Let's Face The Music And Dance-Cassandra Wilson (This Irving Berlin standard swings in Wilson's captivating alto voice.)
- Tenderland-Margie Adam (A heartfelt, downcast piano melody. Images of a desolate street and a hospital ward came to mind as I listened.)
- Federico Moreno Torroba: Dialogues Between Guitar And Orchestra (Malaga Philharmonic/Manuel Coves, conductor; Vicente Coves, guitar) (By the end of this piece, I felt like I'd heard everything ranging from tarantellas to moving panoramic vistas of sound.)
- We Had Searched For Heaven-Tony Momrelle featuring Maysa (The positive ingredients making up this strong April release: Sincere lyrics, beautifully sung to a refreshing uptempo melody, and an undercurrent that resembles the bass line from Al Jarreau's "Save Me.")
