The Leopard Lounge At The Movies (Warner Classics & Jazz - 2007)

Despite its ugly cover, this Leopard Lounge serie volume is devoted to nice rare exotica and easy listening covers of famous movie tunes. If it is not a surprise to find the usual lounge compilation suspects, Burt Bacharach (Alfie) or Henry Mancini tunes (Moon River Cha Cha, Daktari, Latin Golightly), some covers are a bit more suprising. Quartette Très Bien take on Exodus or Les Baxter interpolation of the Theme From Lawrence Of Arabia give a radical lifting to rather melodramatic and symphonic originals. Some of the artists featured are not all boxing in the second division of pop music as you find herbie Mann, Esther Philips, Jimmy Smith or even Young-Holt Unlimited. Enjoyable work.



Download => The Leopard Lounge At The Movies

Siesta Party ! #1 (Nova Records - 1999)

After decades of ostracism, 90's dee-jays suddendly discovered that easy-listening records of their grand-parents were hiding fabulous pop and electronic gems. They even invented its 90's equivalent, trip hop. Trip hop was the kind of music made to buy ridculously expensive drinks and meals in posch bars. All this ended with awful lounge compilation and people finally threw the baby, the water and the bath far away. Easy-listening went back into relative obscurity and now that CD's don't sell anymore, nobody dares to release compilation like this one. Due to French infamous DJ's Jean Croc and Johnny Begoude and released by Nova Radio own label, Siesta Party ! gathers 17 excellent gems with no fillers. Cannonball Adderley, Sergio Mendes, Lalo Schifrin, Astrud Gilberto, Stanley Turrentine, Percy Faith, Jean-Jacques Perrey: the greatest names of the genre give their best to make your life sounds better. Sometimes elevator music can be liked for itself and not for kitsch post modern reasons.















Download => Siesta Party ! #1

Kool Moe Dee - Greatest Hits (Jive - 1993)

Largely forgotten now, Kool Moe Dee had his share of success in the 80's as member of The Treacherous Three. When they disbanded, Kool went for solo and was one of the first rapper to use a long term feud with a fellow rapper, LL Cool J, to gain publicity. The 15 tracks compiled here are from his four albums released on Jive in the second half of the 80's: Kool Moe Dee, How You Like Me Now, Knowledge Is King and Funke, Funke Wisdom. The production swings from average to really good, especially when Teddy Riley is involved but the overall flavour is definitely old school. Kool greatest assets were his lyrics and his charisma on the mic and both still resonate today. An underated old school master.





Download => Kool Moe Dee - Greatest Hits