Cocktail 8.0

Anita O'Day (born Anita Belle Colton; October 18, 1919 – November 23, 2006) was an American jazz singer widely admired for her sense of rhythm and dynamics, and her early big band appearances that shattered the traditional image of the "girl singer". Refusing to pander to any female stereotype, O'Day presented herself as a "hip" jazz musician, wearing a band jacket and skirt as opposed to an evening gown. She changed her surname from Colton to O'Day, pig Latin for "dough", slang for money.

Cocktail Review by William Ruhlmann
Cocktail was not only the soundtrack to a popular Tom Cruise film, it was also the four-million-selling summer party album of 1988, featuring the #1 hits "Don't Worry, Be Happy" by Bobby McFerrin and "Kokomo" by the Beach Boys, plus radio hits by Starship, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, the Georgia Satellites, and John Cougar Mellencamp.

After being discharged from the Army, Brian Flanagan moves back to Queens and takes a job in a bar run by Doug Coughlin, who teaches Brian the fine art of bar-tending. Brian quickly becomes a patron favorite with his flashy …

Ray Charles recorded these tracks for Swing Time Records prior to his break-out releases on Atlantic Records. While fine outings with good arrangements, they didn't set the charts ablaze and are essential only to Ray Charles completists or lovers of the genre. The 28 tracks on two discs showcase Charles imitating Charles Brown on some cuts and Nat King Cole on others. On a few occasions he even manages to sound like the Ray Charles we all know and love. ~ AllMusic Review by Andrew Hamilton