Various Artists - Blue Bacharach: A Cooler Shaker (1999)

From the liner notes:

There is a certain sort of elegance that has become a cliché, involving as it does, a bleached white beach next to which sits a luxury condominium. Its floors are polished pine and though there is a lot of furniture the sheer expanse of the room makes the decor seem minimal. Reclining on a white sofa is an astoundingly beautiful woman dressed in a flowing sarong style dress made from some diaphanous material. She's holding a large whisky tumbler, the drink inside is, of course, on the rocks. A hi-fi nestles on a shelf at the far side of the room, it's big and self important with buttons, knobs and dials much larger than is absolutely necessary. The music is lushly orchestrated and soothing, it has to be the work of Burt Bacharach.

This album is an extremely tasty collection of jazz covers of classic Bacharach tunes. It doesn't get much better than this; easily my favorite Bacharach album - I actually prefer these covers to the versions we are all familiar with. Timeless music good for almost any occasion; entertaining and sophisticated. Great liner notes (includes 6 cocktail recipes if ya need 'em).

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart:  Did not chart

Tracks:

1. This Guy's In Love With You - Stanley Turrentine
   From the 1968 album, The Look Of Love
2. Wives & Lovers - Nancy Wilson
   From the 1967 album, Today, Tomorrow & Forever
3. I Say A Little Prayer - Reuben Wilson
   From the 1969 album, Love Bug
4. The Look Of Love - The Three Sounds
   From the 1968 album, Coldwater Flat
5. What The World Needs Now Is Love - Stanley Turrentine
   From the 1967 album, Easy Walker
6. They Don't Give Medals (To Yesterday's Heroes) - Lou Rawls
   From the 1967 album, Soul Serenade
7. I'll Never Fall In Love Again - Grant Green
   From the 1970 album, Green Is Beautiful
8. Do You Know The Way To San Jose - Richard 'Groove' Holmes
   From the 1970 album, Working On A Groovy Thing
9. Walk On By - Stanley Turrentine
   From the 1966 album, Rough & Tumble
10. Promises, Promises - The Jazz Crusaders
    From the 1969 album, Powerhouse
11. Knowing When To Leave - Ernie Watts Quintet
    From the 1969 album, Planet Soul
12. Always Something There To Remind Me - Stanley Turrentine
    From the 1968 album, Always Something There To Remind Me
13. Wives & Lovers - Grant Green
    From the 1965 album, Matador
14. Alfie - Nancy Wilson
    From the 1967 album, Just For Now

Should be listened to from top to bottom, but if you wanted to shuffle the tracks, that's okay, too. The Stanley Turrentine tracks are my favorites, but even with jazz greats like these, the true star of the disc is the songwriting.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD:  After the release of Painted From Memory (right around the time of the resurgence in lounge culture), I went on a serious Bacharach binge which included the purchase of this album. Early on, I made the mistake of loaning it to a friend. He had just gone through a bad break-up so each night he would put this CD on, drink a bottle of Wild Turkey, and cry himself to sleep (or simply pass out). He eventually got over it and I got my CD back. No more loaning.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Blue Brazil: Blue Note in a Latin Groove (1999)
Capitol Rare: Funky Notes From The West Coast (1999)
Capitol Rare: Funky Notes From The West Coast, Vol. 2 (1999)
Blue Bossa, Vol. 2: Cool Cuts from the Tropics (1999)