It's common practice for the British wing of EMI to release their back catalog of
vocal jazz and
easy listening albums of the '50s and '60s on budget-priced two-for-one compact discs. These CDs aren't aimed at the American market, but the discs are widely available throughout North America, often at the same budget price. This is good news for fans of
Julie London, who until recently has been neglected in the digital age. EMI usually couples albums together that have a musical theme (travel, ballads,
latin drums, etc.), but here they've chosen to collate two of
London's more sensual album covers under one plastic CD slipcover. Thankfully, the cheesecake photos of
London are only the icing on the cake and the music on each of the original albums is well worth owning, even if they have less
jazz content than the best of her releases. Calendar Girl is a concept album involving love lost and found for each month of the year, while Your Number Please... is a tribute to such male singers as
Frank Sinatra and
Mel Tormé. Each of the original out of print albums is expensive and hard to find, so it's a collector's treat to have them readily available again -- and with all the original artwork and liner notes included. Fans of
Julie London's icily sexy but emotionally downbeat style will be thrilled by this collection. ~ Nick Dedina, All Music Guide
