True Blue

True Blue is the album where Madonna truly became Madonna the Superstar – the endlessly ambitious, fearlessly provocative entertainer who knew how to outrage, spark debates, get good reviews – and make good music while she's at it. To complain that True Blue is calculated is to not get Madonna – that's a large part of what she does, and she is exceptional at it, but she also makes fine music. What's brilliant about True Blue is that she does both here, using the music to hook in critics just as she's baiting a mass audience with such masterstrokes as "Papa Don't Preach," where she defiantly states she's keeping her baby.

RSD 2019. Limited edition of 13,000 copies. This total is understood to cover both European and US editions. Replica of the Japan-only release True Blue (Super Club Mix) = スーパー･クラブ･ミックス, originally released in November 1986 by Warner-Pioneer Japan.

Obscure but talented tenor saxophonist Tina Brooks is teamed with the young trumpeter Freddie Hubbard (on one of his earliest sessions), pianist Duke Jordan, bassist Sam Jones, and drummer Art Taylor for a set dominated by Brooks' originals. None of the themes may be all that memorable ("Nothing Ever Changes My Love for You" comes the closest), but the hard bop solos are consistently excellent.

This two-fer from Collectables features a pair of out of print Hank Crawford LPs: True Blue and Double Cross, originally issued in 1964 and 1968, respectively. These 18 soul-jazz tracks include "Shake a Plenty," "Skunky Green'," and Martha & the Vandellas' hit "Jimmy Mack." This is an enjoyable reissue, although most listeners would be better served with Heart and Soul: The Hank Crawford Anthology on Rhino.

This two-fer from Collectables features a pair of out of print Hank Crawford LPs: True Blue and Double Cross, originally issued in 1964 and 1968, respectively. These 18 soul-jazz tracks include "Shake a Plenty," "Skunky Green'," and Martha & the Vandellas' hit "Jimmy Mack." This is an enjoyable reissue, although most listeners would be better served with Heart and Soul: The Hank Crawford Anthology on Rhino.

This two-fer from Collectables features a pair of out of print Hank Crawford LPs: True Blue and Double Cross, originally issued in 1964 and 1968, respectively. These 18 soul-jazz tracks include "Shake a Plenty," "Skunky Green'," and Martha & the Vandellas' hit "Jimmy Mack." This is an enjoyable reissue, although most listeners would be better served with Heart and Soul: The Hank Crawford Anthology on Rhino.