James Fillis

A lotta funk power, a lotta soul power-and some gems you won't find on other collections. Joining I Got You; Papa's Got a Brand New Bag; Get on the Good Foot; Cold Sweat; Soul Power; Prisoner of Love, and It's a Man's Man's Man's World are his early ballad Try Me; his often overlooked 1968 hit America Is My Home and more.

Between 1970 and 1976, James Taylor released six albums with Warner Bros. Records that became the foundation for his unparalleled career that includes five Grammy® Awards, induction into the Songwriters and Rock and Roll Halls of Fame, and more than 100 million records sold worldwide. Originally signed to Apple for his 1968 debut, Taylor switched to Warners for the 1970 follow-up Sweet Baby James, which was a huge success reaching number three in the Billboard charts, nominated for a Grammy and has sold in excess of three million copies in the US alone making him quite the handsome acoustic troubadour, with records that became the foundation for his garlanded career that includes five Grammy Awards, induction into the Songwriters and Rock and Roll Halls of Fame, and more than 100 million records sold worldwide.

Don’t take the title of James Taylor’s One Man Band literally—this 2007 concert recording may be stripped-down but it’s not just James and a guitar, he’s supported by keyboardist Larry Goldings, whom Taylor dubs his “one-man band” in the liner notes, as that’s all the backing band he has here. Fair enough. But this isn’t just a question of clever semantics: as it turns out, Goldings has quite a presence on this intimate album, recorded at a three-night stint at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield, MA, during July 2007. During this 19-song set, Taylor gives Goldings plenty of space to grace the songs with solos that show up his jazz chops.

Simply one of the greatest live blues albums ever captured on tape. Cut in 1963 at the New Era Club in Nashville, the set finds Etta James in stellar shape as she forcefully delivers her own "Something's Got a Hold on Me" and "Seven Day Fool" interspersed with a diet of sizzling covers ("What'd I Say," "Sweet Little Angel," "Money," "Ooh Poo Pah Doo"). The CD incarnation adds three more great titles, including an impassioned reprise of her "All I Could Do Was Cry." Guitarist David T. Walker is outstanding whenever he solos.

James Moody was an institution in jazz from the late '40s into the 21st century, whether on tenor, flute, occasional alto, or yodeling his way through his "Moody's Mood for Love." After serving in the Air Force (1943-1946), he joined Dizzy Gillespie's bebop orchestra and began a lifelong friendship with the trumpeter. Moody toured Europe with Gillespie and then stayed overseas for several years, working with Miles Davis, Max Roach, and top European players. His 1949 recording of "I'm in the Mood for Love" became a hit in 1952 under the title of "Moody's Mood for Love" with classic vocalese lyrics written by Eddie Jefferson and a best-selling recording by King Pleasure…