Collaborations don't come any more wondrous than the luminous Songs in the Dark (PIAS) by The Wainwright Sisters. Those sisters, Martha Wainwright and Lucy Wainwright Roche, team up to soothe our aching souls with a set of acoustic lullabies, traditional numbers and folk pop standards, with the result being that sleep is the farthest thing from our minds. In fact, you might be laughing so hard from Rosalie Sorrels' "Baby Rocking Melody," "Runs in the Family" by Lucy's aunt Terre, and "Lullaby" by Martha and Lucy's father Loudon Wainwright, that you could potentially wear yourself out. The duo's reading of the Simon & Garfunkel classic "El Condor Pasa" is breathtaking, as are their interpretations of Townes Van Zandt's "Our Mother the Mountain," Richard Thompson's "End of the Rainbow" and Cindy Walker's "Dusty Skies."
Just when you thought there couldn't possibly be a "new" Elvis Presley album, along comes If I Can Dream (RCA/Legacy). "Joined" by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Elvis "performs" 14 of his classics in a symphonic setting. Judging from his diet, Presley, who would have turned 80 in 2015 (and has been dead for almost 40 years), was a fan of schmaltz, but this is something else entirely. In addition to a laughable Michael Buble "duet" on "Fever," there isn't much to recommend, but if pressed, "Burning Love" is flaming fun, "Bridge Over Troubled Water" isn't too water-logged, and favorites "Can't Help Falling In Love" and "In the Ghetto" aren't nightmares.
Perennial PBS pledge-drive regulars Straight No Chaser apply their a cappella chops to 13 tunes ranging from timeless classics to seriously questionable modern pop on The New Old Fashioned (Atlantic). Some selections work better than others. Hozier's "Take Me to Church," even The Weeknd's "Can't Feel My Face" and Radiohead's "Creep" make the transition with ease. But parodies "The Movie Medley" and Meghan Trainor's "All About That Bass (No Tenors)," and sincere covers of "(Sittin' On) the Dock of the Bay/Proud Mary" and Walk the Moon's "Shut Up and Dance" are pure Las Vegas, and not in a good way.
Nowhere near as inspired and timeless as the Hal Wilner-produced Stay Awake: Various Interpretations of Music from Vintage Disney Films from 1989, but still an improvement on other Disney reinterpretation compilations, We Love Disney (Verve) is a pleasant listen for Disney-lovers of all ages. Ne-Yo continues his professional reinvention (did you see him in NBC's The Wiz Live? ) with a lively version of "Friend Like Me" from Aladdin. Jessie J belts like nobody's business on "Part of Your World" from The Little Mermaid, and Jessie Ware finds her inner chanteuse on "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" from Cinderella . Also lovable are Kacey Musgraves' sweet rendition of "A Spoonful of Sugar" from Mary Poppins, Fall Out Boys' swinging version of "I Wanna Be Like You (The Monkey Song)" from The Jungle Book and Tori Kelly's breezy "Colors of the Wind" from Pocahontas. Less memorable performers include Gwen Stefani ("The Rainbow Connection"), Rascal Flatts & Lucy Hale ("Let It Go") and Jason Derulo ("Can You Feel the Love Tonight/Nants' Ingonyama").
Donovan is one of the great music legends of the 1960s. His psychedelic-folk hit singles still sound as groovy today as they did some 50 years ago. The 15-track Gazing with Tranquility: A Tribute to Donovan (Rock the Cause) features a stellar array of hip acts leaving their mark on an assortment of Donovan ditties both familiar and lesser-known. Flaming Lips are one of two bands (the other is Mixed Up Kidz) taking the voyage to "Atlantis." "Sunshine Superman" soars in Colony House's version, and Ivan & Alyosha does a respectful rendition of "Catch the Wind." Brett Dennen adds his own tint to "Colours," Lissie gallops on "Happiness Runs," Savannah Smith embraces "Lalena," and "Mellow Yellow" glows in Verskotzi's interpretation.
In addition to being the ex-husband and collaborator of queer folk singer Peggy Singer (half-sister of Pete), singer-songwriter Ewan MacColl was the father of the late singer-songwriter Kirsty MacColl. "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," a huge hit for Roberta Flack, may be Ewan MacColl's best-known song Stateside, but he wrote and recorded many others in his lifetime. To commemorate MacColl's centennial, the double-disc set Joy of Living: A Tribute to Ewan MacColl (Compass) features a fantastic cross-section of performers, including Rufus & Martha Wainwright, David Gray, Billy Bragg, Jarvis Cocker, Steve Earle, Eliza Carthy, The Unthanks and Paul Buchanan (of The Blue Nile), interpreting his songs.
On One Night in Indy (Resonance), a "newly discovered" live recording from 1959, the late guitar virtuoso Wes Montgomery, backed up by the Eddie Higgins Trio, performs songs by Cole Porter ("You'd Be So Nice to Come Home to"), Duke Ellington ("Stompin' at the Savoy"), Thelonious Monk ("Ruby, My Dear"), Neal Hefti ("Li'l Darling") and others, for an appreciative audience in Indianapolis.