Thumbs Up!, a new CDR label from the Coffee, Tea Or Me family, issues the second in its Stay With Me series (Volume One consisted of non-album material). If you own the officially released First Sessions EP you already have five of the tracks here, the first five the batch of nine studio demos listed above. Among the other material are some pretty snazzy covers of Ray Charles (“Hallelujah, I Love Her So,” but redone as “love him so”), Elvis (“Are You Lonesome Tonight”), the old jazz standard “When Sunny Gets Blue” and Dylan’s “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight.” The remaining four cuts are culled from various broadcast and official sources: the Patsy Cline classic “Crazy,” the Hank Williams song “Cold Cold Heart” which Jones has featured in her setlists since the release of her first album, the Waylon Jennings tune “Wurlitzer Prize” she also recorded for a Jennings tribute album, and an old big band number, “In The Dark.” How’s THAT for diversity?
It’s possible, by the way, that some of the songs have surfaced as B-sides or as bonus material on overseas Jones releases, but I wasn’t able to source all of them.
Great sound, good material, and nominal but tasteful packaging (color photos nabbed from a recent Mojo feature on Jones) – not an essential purchase, but with all the prominent covers, a very interesting one. -- OSWALD
