Daddy & Stepbrother Halloween

This is the definitive Cool. Grab it and run. You won't find a better compilation. Remixed and including notes by Mr Cool himself, Ross 'The Boss' Wilson, it sounds better than you'll ever remember. The 'hits' are on side 1 and include the extended version of 'Come Back Again'. Side 2 has live performances and some rare studio stuff. This, together with the impressive 2004 release ''The New Cool'', might be all you'll ever need to realign your swagger and cool, unless they release another.

Gold assembled a handful of knowns and unknowns to make special cameos on this melodic and fun collection of original and classic Halloween tunes with a pop-rock bent. Among the haunted are David Cassidy, Karla Bonoff, Linda Ronstadt, Stephen Bishop, Nicolette Larson, and Gold's children and wife. From the Beatlesesque touches of "It Must Be Halloween" (parts seemingly lifted from "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite") to Boris Karloff's "Monster Mash" and "The Addams Family" theme song, Gold and company offer up treats that kids and their parents will like, including the "Ghostbusters" theme. But with cooler original fare like "The Creature from the Tub" and "Spooky, Scary Skeletons," you have to wonder why they relied on so many predictable cover songs.

100 Hits Halloween features scary chart sounds including "Ghostbusters" (Ray Parker Jr.), "Feed My Frankenstein" (Alice Cooper),"Hunting For Witches" (Bloc Party), "Amityville (The House On The Hill)" (Lovebug Starski), "I Put A Spell On You" (Screamin' Jay Hawkins), "Monster Mash" (Bobby Pickett & The Crypt-Kickers) and many more. Also features a Karaoke DVD featuring 20 Halloween classics such as "Thriller", "Highway To Hell", "Ghost Town" and a 20 track movie theme disc featuring tracks from classic horror films such as Halloween, A Nightmare On Elm Street, The Exorcist and The Omen.

The album title refers to Daddy Mack's (aka Mack Arthur Orr) day job as an auto mechanic, but if he applies as much soul to his car repair business as he does his vocals and laid-back guitar work, he might be able to quit that gig. While he's not attempting anything unique or even doing it in an unusual way, Mack and his three-piece backing band personify Memphis soul/blues in a consistently satisfying set of mostly original (if highly derivative) tunes. Whether rewriting Albert King's "I'll Play the Blues for You" as "I Don't Understand You Baby" or laying into a jaunty, upbeat shuffle on the appropriately titled "Daddy Mack Shuffle," Mack effortlessly finds the heart of his R&B-laced blues. His fluid guitar lines are smooth and unruffled, yet create a powerful groove…

This set includes music perfect for Halloween that isn't actually about Halloween, although everything included here is definitely scary on one level or another. Consisting of vintage jazz and blues tracks issued between 1925 and 1961, there are plenty of songs here about devils and witches, including Tampa Red's "Witchin' Hour Blues," Sippie Wallace's "Devil Dance Blues," and the Mississippi Sheiks' "I Am the Devil," among others. There's also a classic version of Screamin' Jay Hawkins doing his signature tune, "I Put a Spell on You," this one done with the Leroy Kirkland Orchestra.

Recorded in the early part of 1994, this is a richly produced album. Big Daddy Kinsey’s voice, while not a dominating force on this outing, benefits from a stellar production that includes an all-star cast of supporting musicians. Audio fidelity is top notch throughout. The album begins with a mid-tempo, funky take on Slim Harpo’s hit "Tippin’ On In", followed with a fine, slow Delta styled ensemble with John Primer on acoustic guitar; son Donald contributing a nice slide solo. The disc program continues on with a skillful mixture of rhythmic beats and varied song selections; Johnny B. Gayden’s excellent bass lines and tempos pacing the selections. The program is punctuated midway through the disc with Koko Taylor dueting with Big Daddy on "Nothing's Too Good for My Baby"; and Carey Bell’s adept harp playing on a half a dozen tracks…