Excelling at the art of blues balladry demands that a musician possess great feeling but also great control. No surprise then, that one of its greatest practitioners, Nancy Wilson, has both traits in abundance. Save Your Love for Me: Nancy Wilson Sings the Great Blues Ballads is one in a loose series of three Capitol compilations to compile her late-'50s and early-'60s prime, the others focusing on the Great American Songbook and the torch song.

The Great American Songbook has many top-drawer interpreters, but Nancy Wilson is rarely spoken of in the same breath as Ella Fitzgerald or Dinah Washington or Frank Sinatra or Mel Tormé. The reason lies less with her talents, which are sizeable, and more with her orientation, which fits the show tunes concept of putting the song across with precise diction as well as emotion instead of the jazz vocal tradition of personalizing a song. Those who know only Wilson's crossover work and think she intrudes in the field of vocal jazz should simply listen to her 1959 performance of "On the Street Where You Live," where she often varies notes and tempo but preserves the essential ebullience of the song intact – an excellent musical performance combined with an excellent reading of a classic standard. That song is only one of the treasures present on the two-disc set The Great American Songbook, one in a loose series of three Capitol compilations to compile Wilson's late-'50s and early-'60s prime, the others focusing on blues ballads and lost love. There is a lot of music to wade through (more than twice as much as the other volumes in the series), but the compilers ably mix up the proceedings, balancing small-group performances that have a loose touch from all involved with large-band spectaculars featuring impeccable arrangements (often by masters of the form Billy May or Gerald Wilson).

The career of Nancy Wilson has been compiled many times and in many ways, but never like this. Focusing in-depth on her Capitol recordings during the 15 years of her prime, this three-disc set is a wonderful collection for those who appreciate Wilson's ability to combine Broadway power and finesse with jazz rhythm (and a certain degree of improvisation). While the complete record of her '60s and '70s work would require at least a dozen discs she recorded more than 30 original albums between 1960 and 1976 alone the compilers chose these 71 performances with care. They show her excelling in any format, whether small-group or big-band or strings; singing America's greatest show tunes or pop songs of the day; and thriving whether in the controlled confines of a studio or the freewheeling atmosphere of the Cocoanut Grove. (The latter was the place where her 1964 appearances earned her a nationwide profile, and several performances from her accompanying 1965 album finally appear on CD here.) She also worked with superior musicians, including George Shearing, Cannonball Adderley, Billy May, Oliver Nelson, and Gerald Wilson, among others. While some of Wilson's best peers (Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington, Nina Simone) could have been expected to deliver as much excellent material during relatively short periods of their careers, The Very Best of Nancy Wilson: The Capitol Recordings 1960-1976 should stand as a revelation to fans of the pop and soul end of vocal jazz.

Diva Nancy Wilson was among contemporary music's most stylish and sultry vocalists; while often crossing over into the pop and R&B markets – and even hosting her own television variety program – she remained best known as a jazz performer, renowned for her work alongside figures including Cannonball Adderley and George Shearing. Born February 20, 1937, in Chillicothe, Ohio, Wilson first attracted notice performing the club circuit in nearby Columbus; she quickly earned a growing reputation among jazz players and fans, and she was recording regularly by the late '50s, eventually signing to Capitol and issuing LPs including 1959's Like in Love and Nancy Wilson with Billy May's Orchestra. Her dates with Shearing, including 1960's The Swingin's Mutual, solidified her standing as a talent on the rise, and her subsequent work with Adderley – arguably her finest recordings – further cemented her growing fame and reputation. In the years to follow, however, Wilson often moved away from jazz, much to the chagrin of purists; she made numerous albums, many of them properly categorized as pop and R&B outings, and toured extensively, appearing with everyone from Nat King Cole and Sarah Vaughan to Ruth Brown and LaVern Baker.

The Music for Lovers series from EMI and Blue Note spotlights the balladic nature and romantic side of artists who have recorded for its associated labels. Nancy Wilson may not get her due as a jazz vocalist, but as a romantic balladeer she has few peers, with a voice that communicates romance and sensuality. The 12 selections come from her best albums, including 1961's The Swingin's Mutual! (with the George Shearing Quintet), Yesterday's Love Songs/Today's Blues from 1963, and But Beautiful from 1969.

Heart had a second run on the charts in 1985 when they signed to Capitol Records and refashioned themselves as a mainstream pop/rock band, heavy on melodies and power ballads. The move paid off immediately, as they scored four Top Ten hits from Heart, their first record for the label: "What About Love?," "Never," "These Dreams," and "Nothin' at All." Heart kept up their hot streak for several more years, reaching the Top Ten three other times with the number one hit "Alone," "Who Will You Run To," and "All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You." All of those songs are on Greatest Hits 1985-1995, along with 11 other tracks, including the semi-rarities of the Ann Wilson and Robin Zander duet "Surrender to Me" and the "studio version" of "You're the Voice." It may run a little long for the more casual fans, but overall, this is an excellent overview of the era, perfect for fans that don't need the full-length studio albums.

Wilson is a vexing artist to summarize with a best-of compilation, due both to her versatility and her prolific discography. This two-set CD concentrates on her pop- and R&B-influenced recordings for Capitol in the 1960s and '70s. While that means that her jazziest and most standard-inclined sides are relatively lightly represented (although not ignored), it does mean that this is the material most likely to be familiar to the general audience. In truth the soul influence is quite light; this is really pop material, not R&B, soul, or rock, even as it might show some traces of those genres (as well as jazz and cabaret). As a whole, this easy-listening soul music was light fare, but Wilson was probably better at it (and certainly more successful at it) than anyone else…

On Nancy Wilson's previous album, 2004's R.S.V.P., the legendary vocalist teamed up with a given instrumentalist on each track. She must have liked the formula, because she's done it again on Turned to Blue. Here the oft-honored jazz singer leaves room in each number - save for the title track, a Maya Angelou poem set to music and arranged by Jay Ashby - for a different soloist, bringing in such heavyweights as Hubert Laws on flute, saxists Jimmy Heath, Andy Snitzer, Bob Mintzer (who appears to be summoning Stan Getz on the opening number, Gordon Jenkins' "This Is All I Ask"), James Moody and Tom Scott, pianist Dr. Billy Taylor, and steel pans player Andy Narrell, among others…

This fine album was sadly lost in the shuffle when it was released the same year as another Nancy Wilson album, The Swingin's Mutual!, her highly successful collaboration with the George Shearing Quintet. This is a shame, because Something Wonderful is one of Wilson's best albums, and her tastiest, with famed big-band arranger Billy May. Only 23 years old at the time, Wilson had a commanding blues- and soul-drenched jazz voice that was fully formed at the time of this recording, and unlike so many young singers, she was already committed to communicating lyrics rather than just showing off her vocal chops. This is beautifully illustrated in the narrative gem "Guess Who I Saw Today," which justly went on to become one of Wilson's signature tunes…

With her band Heart, Nancy Wilson has recorded 16 albums and sold over 35 million albums worldwide. Within that history-making career, You and Me represents something special, as it is Nancy Wilson's very first solo studio album. The title track 'You and Me,' as with several of the songs on the album, reunites Wilson with longtime collaborator Sue Ennis, who co-wrote many of Heart's classics with Nancy, and sister Ann. 'You and Me' highlights the intimate feel of the album. Nancy's singing is forward in the mix, her voice is spare, and the minimal production makes it feel like she's right there in the same room with you. Like all the legendary music she's created with Heart, 'You and Me' is an emotional, intimate conversation between a musician and an audience.

The Soul Music label's extensive Nancy Wilson reissue series continues with the singer's 20th and 21st albums for the Capitol label: The Sound of Nancy Wilson and Nancy. The first of the two, released in 1968, was led by the #24 Billboard R&B single "Peace of Mind" and a powerful ballad finale in "Black Is Beautiful." The latter, a more stylistically varied album released in 1969, boasts the #44 R&B single "You'd Better Go" and the brisk pop of "In a Long White Room." Both sets were produced by David Cavanaugh with arranging and conducting from Jimmy Jones. This is another loving, fan-pleasing release of long-out-of-print Wilson titles.

Exclusive 32-track collection from EMI features the perfect soundtrack to your cocktail party! Highlights include, Cassandra Wilson 'Time After Time', Peggy Lee 'I Left My Heart In San Francicso', Minnie Riperton featuring Jose Feliciano 'Light My Fire', Charlie Hunter and Norah Jones 'More than This', Julie London 'Fly Me to the Moon', Cilla Black 'Alfie', Eva Cassidy 'Yesterday', Nina Simone 'Wild is the Wind' and other tracks from Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Liza Minnelli, Judy Garland, Edith Piaf, Nancy Wilson and many more.

Ramsey Lewis and Nancy Wilson - two key soulful talents from the 60s, working together beautifully here in a mid 80s set! The album's almost more Randy's than it is Nancy's given that Lewis takes a few tunes instrumentally, working in a blend of acoustic and electric instrumentation that's very much in his best early 80s Columbia Records mode. But things really come together when Nancy joins in - bringing her mature, soulful approach to the tunes - and really tying them together wonderfully with her vocals! Stanley Clarke produced, and there's definitely some echoes here of his own music of the time - and titles include "Ram", "Quiet Storm", "Never Wanna Say Goodnight", "Closer Than Close", and "Breaker Beat".

Nancy Wilson's not the first name in bluesy jazz (check out Dinah Washington and Joe Williams for that), but she usually can enliven the form with her sophisticated and sultry style. That's made clear on her rendition of "Stormy Monday Blues," where she eschews blues clichés in favor of a husky airiness, at once referencing a lowdown mood and infusing it with a sense of buoyancy. This split is nicely essayed on Capitol's Blues and Jazz Sessions, as half the tracks ooze with Wilson's cocktail blues tone and the other find the jazz-pop chanteuse in a summery and swinging mood. Ranging from the big band blues of "I've Got Your Number" to the lilting bossa nova "Wave," Wilson handles all the varying dynamics and musical settings with aplomb. Featuring cuts from her '60s prime with the likes of Cannonball Adderley, Oliver Nelson, George Shearing, Gerald Wilson, and a host of top sidemen, this best-of disc offers a fine, off-the-beaten-path overview of Wilson's Capitol heyday.

For any and all lovers of Ms. Nancy Wilson and her singing….this CD compilation is a "must have" for anyone who is an fan of jazz, pop, n' the blues. Ms. Wilson is sure to please in all n' every genre that has been put forward on her plate in order for these gems to be introduced to you her singing audience.This certainly is a must have collection, as alot of the music involved has never before beenput to the cd format. I promise you will not be disappointed.