Don Williams (born Donald Ray Williams; May 27, 1939 – September 8, 2017) was an American country singer, songwriter, and 2010 inductee to the Country Music Hall of Fame. He began his solo career in 1971, singing popular ballads and amassing 17 number one country hits. His straightforward yet smooth bass-baritone voice, soft tones, and imposing build earned him the nickname: "Gentle Giant" of country music.

Yvonne Elliman is remembered for her hit from Saturday Night Fever, the luminous "If I Can't Have You," and that's about it. That's too bad because she was a pretty nice soft rock/easy disco singer who released some fine records in the '70s. 20th Century Masters: The Best of Yvonne Elliman shows her gentle way with a ballad on the lovely cover of the Eagles' "Best of My Love," her breathy take on the Neil Sedaka-penned "Baby Don't Let It Mess With Your Mind," and her first hit, "I Don't Know How to Love Him," from the cast album of Jesus Christ Superstar. It also shows she could handle a sexy groove on her sly cover of Barbara Lewis' "Hello Stranger" and the Barry and Robin Gibb-written "Love Me." She wasn't always handed the best of material to work with as the cheesy "Love Pains" and "Everything Must Change" show, but even on these tracks her winning charms rule the day.

Ronnie Hilton was one of the most successful British ballad singers of the 1950s and, unlike many of his contemporaries, he continued to have hits after the arrival of rock'n'roll. He was so popular that when the BBC wanted a host for their 1990s radio series Sounds Of The Fifties Ronnie was the obvious choice. Ronnie Hilton was an important part of 1950s Britain - as the NME noted at the end of that decade, 'Right from the start, he has given us a string of captivating and easily memorised songs, which have had the entire nation whistling and singing'. A well deserved epitaph for one of the great British balladeers. This fine collection features all of his 'Magic Moments' on one CD.

A well-sequenced set of nine ballads done by various incarnations of Miles Davis groups for Columbia Records between 1956 and 1984, this compilation is a wonderful listen but pieces like "Flamenco Sketches" and "I Loves You, Porgy," for instance, really need to be heard in their original settings to be truly appreciated…

Lindsey Buckingham hadn't recorded a studio album with Fleetwood Mac in 16 years when Say You Will was released in April 2003. His partner, Stevie Nicks, had been missing in action from the group since 1990, and while both joined the reunited group in 1997 for a tour and live album (The Dance), not to mention Bill Clinton's 1993 inauguration, it had been a long, long time since the two made new music for the Mac…

Usually the name Gold: Greatest Hits means "avoid this album." Many times small labels will buy the rights to some obscure songs by a big-name artist and then release it under that very title. But despite the name, this collection keeps the crap in the middle of the album, buried between the good stuff. In fact, this is a really good retrospective of this band. The dark and lonely ballads that Karen Carpenter sang take center stage, pushing brother Richard's pop contributions to the background. The album starts strong enough, featuring several of their biggest hits, including "Superstar," "Rainy Days and Mondays," "Goodbye to Love," and "It's Going to Take Some Time." And the album ends with more big hits, such as "Top of the World," "(They Long to Be) Close to You," and "We've Only Just Begun"; even their Klaatu cover, "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft," makes it. But the middle is a danger zone of filler, featuring forgettable tracks like "Please Mr. Postman" and its ilk. But this collection has the requisite amount of good Carpenters songs to make it worthwhile, and anyone who does not have these songs on album should give this a listen.

One of Italy's best-loved artists, Adriano Celentano has been equally successful in film and music. Whether singing Elvis Presley-inspired rock, as he did as a member of the Rock Boys in 1957, or romantic balladry, Celentano found a dedicated market for his music…

Pure Instinct is the thirteenth studio album by the German hard rock band Scorpions, released in 1996. Reviewers criticized the album for having too many ballads and not enough hard rock or even rock…

Ballads? What ballads? They don't need no stinkin' ballads. Actually, most of these aren't true ballads, which are defined as either romantic/sentimental songs ("Rainbow Demon" darlin'?) or songs that repeat the same melody from stanza to stanza (think of that guy playing the acoustic guitar in Animal House). Uriah Heep did eventually write honest-to-goodness ballads, some of which are featured here: "Your Turn to Remember," "Free Me," and "Come Back to Me."…

Nice collection of Love Song tracks culled from the Vaults of Sony Music. 24 tracks featuring Fugees - No Woman, No Cry, Simon & Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water, Marvin Gaye - Sexual Healing & a host of other Sony Music recording artists.

Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi, pianist and keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, lead guitarist Phil X, and bassist Hugh McDonald. The band's lineup has remained mostly static during its history, with the only exceptions being the 1994 dismissal of bass player Alec John Such, who was unofficially replaced by Hugh McDonald, and the departure of longtime guitarist and co-songwriter Richie Sambora in 2013…

Like other entries in Blue Note's excellent Ballads series, this collection features Sarah Vaughan on a number of mellow standards. The songs originate from a number of sessions Vaughan completed for Roulette between 1960-1963, and they are uniformly lovely. The settings range from the guitar/bass backing on "All or Nothing at All" to the orchestra backing on "Dreamy." Vaughan sings the tastefully arranged "You Go to My Head" with the help of the Count Basie Orchestra and the intimately quiet "In a Sentimental Mood" with guitarist Mundell Lowe and bassist George Duvivier. She slowly caresses each syllable of "'Round Midnight," "Solitude," and "Lover Man," delivering fresh takes on these commonly sung classics. A certain warmth also permeates "In a Sentimental Mood" and "If I Had You," filling each note with an air of regret. The reflective material seems tailor-made for that late hour when one's guests have departed and the cocktail glasses have been cleared. Ballads gathers 13 exquisite recordings in one place and captures Vaughan in exceptional voice. It's also enlightening to listen to how she approaches similar material when the arrangements are so divergent. To those unfamiliar with her Roulette work, Ballads offers a fine introduction.~Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr.

Originally issued in 1973, CALUMET is one of the finest albums by Floridian singer-songwriter Lobo (born Roland Kent Lavoie). With a light, laid-back sound that makes contemporaries such as the Eagles and Jackson Browne seem edgy by comparison, Lobo eases into a set of amiable soft-rock tunes, including “How Can I Tell Her” and “It Sure Took a Long, Long Time.”

Sony Music is delighted to announce the release of ‘Keep Calm and Relax’, a soothing selection of modern classics,
The three- disc collection features a stunning array of chill out tracks from a varied line up of international chart-toppers and UK favourites, from Bruno Mars, Kelly Clarkson and Alicia Keys to Rumer, Plan B and Lily Allen.
With over 50 comforting tracks across the three discs, ‘Keep Calm and Relax’ encourages you to put your feet up and unwind from the daily grind. Some of the stellar songs include: Ellie Goulding ‘Your Song’, Damien Rice ‘Cannonball’, Sade ‘No Ordinary Love’, Leona Lewis ‘Bleeding Love’, James Morrison ‘You Give Me Something’, Duffy ‘Mercy’, Christina Aguilera ‘Beautiful’ and Justin Timberlake ‘Cry Me A River’.