Love Serenade 1996

"Just Another Way To Say I Love You" is the self-produced fourth album by American R&B singer Barry White, released in 1975 on the 20th Century label. The album topped the R&B albums chart, White's fourth in a row to do so, and peaked at #17 on the Billboard 200. It also reached #12 on the UK Albums Chart. The album was a success, yielding two Billboard R&B Top Ten singles, "What Am I Gonna Do with You", which peaked at #1, and "I'll Do for You Anything You Want Me To". Both were also successful on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #8 and #40 respectively. Both singles were also hits on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at #5 and #20 respectively. The album was digitally remastered and reissued on CD on May 3, 1996.

Pianist Oscar Peterson has made a remarkable number of records through the years and his two songbook series for Verve (each recording features the songs of a different composer) were extensive, to say the least. During 1952-54 he cut ten albums (113 songs) and in 1959 he added nine more records (108 songs), in addition to his regular busy activities. Because these were essentially easy-listening sets with concise interpretations that always kept the melodies of the composers close by, they are not considered Peterson's greatest work but they are enjoyable in their own right. This particular two-CD set has some of the highlights from these marathon projects, most of which (the Gershwin songbooks excepted) had never been out on CD before. Peterson teams up with guitarist Barney Kessel and bassist Ray Brown on nine numbers from 1952, features Herb Ellis in Kessel's place on 13 other songs…

This is a fine compilation of Jackie Gleason's output for Columbia. Gleason's objective was to make "musical wallpaper" that should never be intrusive, but rather conducive. He was not musically literate, but never had a problem articulating what he wanted to hear from his orchestra. The music here is quiet, melancholy, and often somber, played at mostly moderate to slow tempos. Each selection seems to flow into the next, achieving Gleason's goal of unobtrusiveness. Collectors may be more interested in seeking out the original LPs that comprise the material here, but for those looking for two CDs worth of some of the most relaxing music ever recorded, this is the place to start.

Although it isn't as focused or direct as After the Storm, Better Days Ahead showcases Norman Brown's growth as a musician. Brown seamlessly fuses jazz, R&B, pop, and soul together, creating a distinctive hybrid that has the technique of an accomplished jazz musician and the accessibility of pop. The songs on Better Days Ahead aren't quite as memorable as those on After the Storm, but Brown's dazzling ability on the guitar makes it worthwhile listening.