#434 - In The Wee Small Hours, Frank Sinatra

"This exquisite after-hours ballad set was the first of Sinatra's dark heartbreak albums, and one of his most influential. Nelson Riddle's arrangements are so subtle that you don't even notice when a small jazz group replaces the orchestra. Along with Songs for Swingin' Lovers, this platter became the blueprint for pop and jazz releases of the 1950s." (real music guide)

#433 - The Soul Cages, Sting

"Reeling from the loss of his parents, Sting constructed The Soul Cages as a hushed mediation on mortality, loss, grief, and father/son relationships (the album is dedicated, in part, to his father; its predecessor was dedicated to his mother). Using the same basic band as Nothing Like the Sun, the album has the same supple, luxurious tone, stretching out leisurely over nine tracks, almost all of them layered mid-tempo tunes." (allmusic guide)

#432 - Nothing Like The Sun, Sting

"Sting explores world rhythms and melodies on Nothing Like the Sun, which actually works well with the general political nature of these songs. A cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Little Wing" is included as is the hit "Be Still My Beating Heart."" (real music guide)




#431 - Blue Train, John Coltrane

"As his only release for Blue Note, this 1957 set is one of the finest bop albums recorded. Not only does it feature Coltrane and his soaring sax working through "Blue Train," it also gets some truly wonderful brass help from Lee Morgan and Curtis Fuller. Not as exploratory as his later work, but this is surely one of the most influential LPs to come out of jazz." (real music guide)