Jo Stafford - As Time Goes By (2011)

Really wonderful work from Jo Stafford recorded much later than some of her more popular material with a hip 60s sound that's mighty nice! These tracks were recorded at the end of the 60s for the Readers Digest label a short-lived imprint that only issued a handful of original music, but who managed to make some real gems with Jo. And if you think the mixture of "Readers Digest" and "Jo Stafford" is middle America at its best, then think again because there's a depth to these recordings that far surpasses Jo's commercial material hardly ever heard by most, given that the recordings were only issued to subscribers of the magazine!

There's still some of the warm, sentimental modes of years before but the overall style is a bit more mature, almost boozy at points thanks in part to orchestrations from Glenn Osser, Paul Weston, and Billy VerPlanck. Some tracks feature background vocals and titles include "I Believe In You", "A Ghost Of A Chance", "Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars", "September In The Rain", "People", and "What The World Needs Now Is Love".