Welcome back to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles making digital debuts, plus new works from legacy acts and even some personally curated favorites. It may not get more eclectic than this one, folks! We’ve got catalogue classics from jazz immortals, country icons and ’80s hitmakers; new songs from legends of classic rock, R&B, adult contemporary and hip-hop; new sounds from MUNA, The Waterboys, and Crack the Sky’s John Palumbo; and a sampler of international works, from Spanish chorale to Austrian pop that won…
Tender Words: The Anita Kerr Singers, The Mike Sammes Singers Collected On él Label
A pair of recent releases from Cherry Red’s él imprint shines a well-deserved spotlight on two famed groups of background vocalists, one from each side of the Atlantic: The Anita Kerr Singers and The Mike Sammes Singers. As a major pioneer of The Nashville Sound alongside producer-guitarist Chet Atkins, Anita Kerr led her distinctive choir on records by Patsy Cline, Jim Reeves, Brenda Lee, Eddy Arnold, Willie Nelson and Floyd Cramer. The Kerr Singers’ distinctive harmonies were also heard behind Roy Orbison, Perry Como, Rosemary Clooney, Bobby Vinton, and too many others to…




