Dolores Gray - Warm Brandy: The Capitol Years (2007)

Tall, blonde drink-of-water Dolores Gray starred in films and musicals throughout the '40s and '50s and made a respectable armful of minor charting songs for Columbia, Decca, RCA Victor and Capitol during her career.

A dedicated B-lister, Gray never crossed over to the big time, but did find an audience for her theatrical and sultry interpretations of standards and late-night missives. The Capitol reissue of her aptly titled 1957 album Warm Brandy serves up the smoldering, come-hither vibe in high style -- with deluxe packaging, a ten-page booklet of information and photos, and four bonus tracks. The original selections presented all have the fireside couch in mind (with an eye on the bedroom) and, for sheer cocktail romanticism, this set has few peers.

Gray's voice might not have been on par with the likes of contemporaries such as Ethel Merman, Mary Martin or June Christy, but her stunning looks and acting talent sure gave her an advantage in the boudoir department. ~J. Scott McClintock