A Bit of Fry And Laurie

The original stories by P.G. Wodehouse are delightfully amusing and worthy of out loud chuckling at times. The films series Jeeves and Wooster are as close as one could come to the dry wit of uber intelligent Jeeves, as he contends with his witless (and certainly not dry) employer, Bertie Wooster. Their shenanigans usually revolve around various comedies of errors set in that mystical feudal society of 1930s Britain. This collection of music and a bit of dialogue from the series is just as delightful, embodying the bouncy, whimsical style of light music from the 1920s and 30s. Recommended.

Music has been present in Hugh Laurie’s career in some form or another since the days of Fry & Laurie, even working its way into House, the American television series that turned him into an international star in the 2000s. Without House, Laurie would never have been granted the opportunity to record an album like 2011’s Let Them Talk, a full-blooded immersion into American blues via New Orleans, shepherded by acclaimed roots producer Joe Henry and featuring such Big Easy heavy-hitters as Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, and Irma Thomas. To his enormous credit, Laurie never sounds like a dilettante among this group; he holds his own, working his way into the marrow of the songs, playing credible piano throughout the record.

Audible Studios presents two new recordings of George Orwell's most celebrated novels – 1984 and Animal Farm – with exclusive introductions, written and performed by Stephen Fry. …