Rita Coolidge - Out of the Blues (1996)

Even though the duo-tone cover looks new and jazzy, most of this cozy set was recorded over twenty years ago. Primarily working with bass, drum and piano, the smoky-voiced chanteuse delivers these eleven songs with her own inimitably laidback vigor, performing best on moody ballads such as "Am I Blue," "Mean To Me" and "The Man I Love." Some of these tracks have appeared on Rita's albums during her A&M Records tenure in the 1970s, but most of them remained in the vault until now. It's a fine set with simple arrangements of chestnuts such as "Bring It On Home To Me" and the blues staple "Stormy Monday." Rounding the set out are two recent cuts, the Top 40-ish "When The Night Rolls In" and the bluesy "Out of the Blues."