Esther Phillips - You've Come A Long Way, Baby / All About Esther Phillips (2011)

Digitally remastered two-fer containing a pair of albums from the R&B/Jazz/Disco vocalist on one CD. Her Mercury Records debut (You've Come a Long Way Baby) was produced by her then-musical director, Pee Wee Ellis (the famed former James Brown sideman) and featured a dazzling diversity of material, from the Blues tune, 'You've Been a Good Ole Wagon' to Van Morrison's 'Into the Mystic' and a Disco remake of the Platters' 'My Prayer'," a previously unreleased 9:07 mix of which is being made available for the first time on the CD. Esther's second Mercury LP (All About Esther) was produced by Wayne Henderson (of the Jazz Crusaders), featured a number of star players and includes a great cover of Odyssey's 'Native New Yorker.' Soul Music.