Mitty Collier - "Shades Of...: The Chess Singles 1961-68" [Kent/Ace '08] Deep-voiced Chicago soul "cult heroine" (as the liners put it) never had a big chart hit, cut only one album at Chess, and retired for good from secular music by '72, but the singles are as fine as, if distinct from, those by better-known labelmates like Etta James, and the powerhouse Ter-Mar Studios sound, with production and arrangements by some of the label's top pop talent, is on display at its hugest in this well-mastered CD.
Nina Simone - "...And Piano!" [RCA/BMG '69/'01] Her first entirely solo studio album (plus four bonus tracks from the same sessions) came perhaps surprisingly late and didn't sell very well, but not at all surprisingly is a rich gem of the High Priestess' subtle and varied artistry (though her voice was unfortunately recorded with a touch of unatural edge, which is not shared by her piano even though with the exception of a few accent overdubs, both parts presumably would have been recorded together live, as she frequently was in concert, given how characteristically personalized the performances are)
