Swap a CD: 15 Recently Posted CDs in Nostalgia

Various Artists - Ultimate Broadway

Various Artists — 2013-06-08T10:21:18-05:00

Various Artists - Songs That Got Us Through WWII

Various Artists — 2013-06-01T01:31:13-05:00

They may have rationed meat, milk, canned goods, and gasoline, but there was no limit to the musical talent during World War II. Morale-boosting sounds on the home front and "over there" were one of the Allies' most potent weapons. WWII gave birth to many of the 1940s' most popular artists and songs, as well as many of the most important independent record labels. Songs That Got Us Through WWII is the first of a two-volume series collecting the hits that kept the home fires burning and brought a little bit of America to the G.I.s overseas. Compiled and developed by singer/songwriter/music historian Billy Vera, Vol. 1 features many of the era's biggest artists, including The Andrews Sisters, Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, The Mills Brothers, The Ink Spots, Harry James, and many more.

Bing Crosby - The Voice of Christmas: The Complete Decca Christmas Songbook

Bing Crosby — 2013-05-31T22:31:00-05:00

Bing Crosby is the father of the Christmas album. He sired the whole shooting match in 1942 when he recorded Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" for the Decca soundtrack of Holiday Inn, and the season has never been the same since. "White Christmas" isn't just Crosby's signature tune, it's also that of Christmas, selling millions around the world and inspiring countless recording artists to create their own holiday versions every year. This long overdue two-disc package features the original recording of "White Christmas" (often replaced by a later version on reissues) as well as all the seasonal songs Crosby cut over three decades. And with extensive liner notes and guest artists such as the Andrews Sisters, The Complete Decca Christmas Songbook is a slam-dunk gift buy for the whole family. --Martin Keller

Bing Crosby - Christmas Album

Bing Crosby — 2013-05-29T21:27:43-05:00

Various Artists - Billboard Pop Memories: 1955-1959

Various Artists — 2013-05-26T19:14:18-05:00

Michael Feinstein - Romance on Film / Romance on Broadway

Michael Feinstein — 2013-05-16T12:34:15-05:00

Cabaret singer turned crooner Michael Feinstein continues to pay tribute to the American popular standard in his two-disc set Romance on Film, Romance on Broadway. The first disc features Feinstein in front of a live audience singing mostly well-worn ballads from classic films (exception: you may not immediately associate Michel LeGrand and Alan and Marilyn Bergman's "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?" with the 1982 Burt Reynolds-Goldie Hawn vehicle Best Friends). The second disc is a studio recording filled with ballads and the occasional swinger ("Taking a Chance on Love") from Broadway shows. Accompanied by different combinations of horns and rhythm, Feinstein often stretches a song out to six or seven minutes, thus allowing for relaxed tempos, granting solo opportunities to his first-rate instrumentalists (including pianists Alan Broadbent and Marian McPartland), and indulging his fondness for what he calls the "sighing moment"--when he puzzles the audience with an unknown verse to a song, and then gives them the familiar, satisfying, well-loved chorus. Feinstein might rely a bit too much on his falsetto and there isn't the same sense of wit and adventure of his cabaret years, but this is a classy, enjoyable album for late-night listening. --David Horiuchi

Barbara Cook - Sings From the Heart

Barbara Cook — 2013-05-15T15:44:28-05:00

Andrews Sisters - Capitol Collector's Series

Andrews Sisters — 2013-05-15T15:37:32-05:00

Various Artists - Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy

Various Artists — 2013-05-13T11:38:53-05:00

Andrews Sisters - Rarities

Andrews Sisters — 2013-05-13T11:38:31-05:00

Barbara Cook - The Champion Season: Live at the Cafe Carlyle

Barbara Cook — 2013-05-09T19:46:35-05:00

Barbara Cook is the epitome of the cabaret diva. A star on Broadway from the '50s through to the '70s (she still owns the role of Marian the Librarian in The Music Man), Cook continues to sing the tunes of the Great White Way--her venues are just a tad more intimate these days. This live performance at the CafÉ Carlyle in New York should more than please her legion of fans. Cook's tribute to Gower Champion is filled with great music and fond memories of the Broadway director and choreographer. From "Before the Parade Passes By" from Hello, Dolly!, Cook's lovely soprano voice segues into tunes from Annie Get Your Gun ("I Got the Sun in the Morning," "I Got Lost in His Arms"), Carnival ("Her Face"), The Fantasticks ("They Were You"), and more. With perfect piano arrangements by Wally Harper (who accompanied Cook on her prior album, All I Ask of You), this is a delightful disc. --Jason Verlinde

Various Artists - Greatest Western Themes

Various Artists — 2013-05-09T11:42:35-05:00

Bing Crosby - Sings Christmas Songs

Bing Crosby — 2013-05-05T19:10:43-05:00

Barbara Cook - Count Your Blessings

Barbara Cook — 2013-05-03T18:39:06-05:00

Barbara Cook - All I Ask of You

Barbara Cook — 2013-05-03T18:32:51-05:00