REISSUES

McKennitt, Sade collections celebrate smooth, soulful singing

Two artists known for soulful performances - Celtic singer-songwriter Loreena McKennitt and the jazz-tinged singer Sade - have released striking career overviews.

Loreena McKennitt, The Journey So Far: The Best of Loreena McKennitt, Quinlan Road, two CDs, $19.99

One of contemporary music’s best performers, McKennitt celebrates her 30th year in music with this two-CD retrospective (a single disc version is also available).

The first disc has a dozen tunes picked from the singer’s eight studio albums, some in edited form. McKennitt explores the different roots and branches of Celtic music in and beyond Ireland and Scotland, which has taken her to examine Spain, the Middle East and more, with musical and lyrical passages rich in imagery and steeped in the various musical traditions.

Selections include the traditional “Bonny Portmore,” the haunting “The Mystic’s Dream,” “Down by the Sally Gardens” (which has words by W.B. Yeats) and “The Mummers’ Dance.”

The second disc has nine songs recorded in Mainz, Germany, in 2012, during A Midsummer Night’s Tour. It underscores McKennitt’s powerful voice, an instrument of depth, range and power, and the musical alchemy she and her band create on stage. (Another superb showcase is the CD/DVD Nights From the Alhambra.)

Sade, The Essential Sade, Legacy, two CDs, $13.99

The jazz-tinged, sophisticated pop music of Sade wraps listeners in a cool, soulful and jazzy aura. Starting with 1984’s Diamond Life and its hits “Smooth Operator” and “Hang on to Your Love,” the singer/songwriter has released albums sporadically since. Her most recent studio album, 2010’s Soldier of Love, came eight years after its predecessor.

But don’t think the smoothness of the band’s music means it’s not emotional. For example, the single “Soldier of Love” was lyrically raw and painful; “Hang on to Your Love” is haunting and pleading. The allure of Sade’s voice conveys emotion, mostly with subtlety, but cries of anguish and joy are not strangers to the singer’s work.

If you don’t own a lot of Sade’s work, this is an excellent compilation.

The Mamas and the Papas, A Gathering of Flowers, Real Gone Music, two CDs, $15.99

The first voice you hear on this 1970 compilation is John Phillips, talking about meeting Cass Elliot, which leads to the song “Straight Shooter.” Elliot explains how the group got its name as an intro to “Monday, Monday.”

Originally released on vinyl records as a boxed set, A Gathering of Flowers has been issued for the first time on CD. It’s more than a gathering of hits such as “California Dreamin’,” “Creeque Alley” and “Dedicated to the One ILove.” The original set had 20 songs, rehearsals, outtakes and interview snippets from Phillips and Cass Elliot between various songs.

The CD reissue has also reproduced the original 16-page booklet in a small, hard-to-read print size that will send most scrambling for a magnifying glass to enjoy Andy Wickham’s liner notes. It would have been a good idea to reproduce the booklet on the label’s website as well.

But it all comes down to the music, with its harmonic richness and pop-sharp appeal, whether signing originals or covers such as “Dancing in the Streets.” Elliot’s solo, “Words of Love,” still has its romantic allure. The song launched her solo career as the group broke up.

For fans of this ’60s quartet, this compilation should be a satisfying experience.

Various artists, The Best of Blue Note, Blue Note, $12.99

The venerated jazz label Blue Note notches its 75th year and this two-CD compilation provides a diverse overview of the company’s impressive archives.

It starts with the great New Orleans musician Sidney Bechet, who was a brilliant clarinetist and saxophonist, and his expressive, warbly rendition of “Summertime.” It draws to a close with the soulful voice of Gregory Porter on the retro-sounding gospel/jazzy testifying of “Liquid Spirit.”

These days, Blue Note is known as much for its singers as its musicians - elegant singers Cassandra Wilson and Norah Jones also call Blue Note home. But the adventurous bandleader Robert Glasper is also breaking new ground and this set includes a collaboration with singer Erykah Badu.

In this set, you will also find influential pianist Thelonious Monk’s “’Round About Midnight,” the venerated John Coltrane’s “Blue Train,” Kenny Burrell’s “Chitlins Con Carne,” Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers’ incomparable “Moanin’,” Herbie Hancock’s “Maiden Voyage” and more.

It’s not possible to compile 75 years on two CDs, but the thrilling Best of Blue Note is a good way to start and should encourage listeners to explore sounds old and new. A set of liner notes would have been nice, along with annotation. Sadly, both are absent from this otherwise superb set.

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Style, Pages 47 on 04/06/2014

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