Friday morning standout songs:
Bluegrass
- Turtle In The Creek-The Wooks (There's appealing synergy between the banjo, guitar, and fiddle in this uptempo instrumental.)
Brazilian Pop
- Canto Di Paraiso-Kay Lyra (Guitar, flute, and strings add lush warmth to the vocals.)
Cocktail Lounge
- Metropolis Suite, Part 1-Brian Bennett (Hurry! The suspect's getting away--by boarding a spacecraft, apparently; at least, that's what this instrumental underscoring suggests.)
Easy Listening
- Till There Was You-Tony Mottola (A guitar based version of a well-known melody. The tune's warmth shines through in a slower than usual tempo; I kept expecting Mottola to launch into "I Can't Get Started." Hot Club Of Detroit's "Patio Swing" would sound rhythmically compatible after this.)
Jazz Masters
- Days Of Wine And Roses-Dizzy Gillespie (Evidence that a jazz ensemble can be freewheeling--and precise, as well.)
Latin Lounge
- A Volta-Eliane Elias (Since first hearing Elias's piano playing and vocals in the early '90s, I thought she'd be a consistently dependable artist from album to album. The decades have shown this. There's a smooth, welcoming, professional sheen over all of her albums. This track, like many others of hers, would be equally at home in an international, smooth jazz, or traditional jazz playlist.)
Retro R&B
- The Flick (Part 1)-Earl Van Dyke & The Soul Brothers (When it's appropriate, why shouldn't an organist be able to do the equivalent of a guitar player shredding?)
Smooth Jazz
- Fly Away With Me-Pamela Williams (This 2005 track features smooth saxophone and keyboard underscoring that wouldn't have been out of place in the '90s.)
South Africa Gospel
- Busa-Hendrick Monyeki (Uplifting choral singing with a skipping instrumental backdrop. The backing vocalists' increased volume and power as the song progresses adds to its appeal.)
Swinging Standards
- Bye Bye Blackbird-Emilie-Claire Barlow (Fitting, just-breathy-enough vocals, solid trumpet, and assuredly cool rhythm section accompaniment make this a good cover of a standard.)
