I've Got News for You (1999)

About this title: This two-CD set spans Brooks' career from 1945 to 1998 and does a fine job of gathering bits and pieces from the veteran singer/pianist's catalog. Divided into two sections --"Hadda Sings" and "Hadda Swings" -- which unsuccessfully tries to separate essentially similar patterns in Brooks' style and manner, this amounts to a representative, if incomplete, compilation of progressing, artistic achievement. The '90s recordings featured here aren't bad, but it's the late-'40s material -- particularly Brooks' sublime take on "That's My Desire" -- that gives I've Got News for You something to shout ... read more

Tracks:

1. That's My Desire [Loveday/Kressa]
2. I Feel So Good [Broonzy]
3. Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere [Brooks]
4. Dream [Mercer]
5. You Won't Let Me Go [Johnson/Allen]
6. Time Was When [Patrick/Blyler]
7. You Go Your Way and I'll Go Crazy [Brooks]
8. Sometime I'm Happy [Caesar/Youmans/Grey]
9. Need a Little Sugar in My Bowl [Williams/Brymn/Smal]
10. Who Did You Fool After All? [Van/White]
11. Stairway to the Stairs [Malneck/Parish/Sign]
12. How Do You Speak to an Angel [Hilliard/Styne]
13. Them There Eyes [Pinkard/Tauber/Trac]
14. Miss Brown to You [Rainger/Robin/Whiti]
15. Swingin' the Boogie [Brooks]
16. Chop Chop Boogie [Brooks]
17. Hip Shakin' Boogie [Brooks]
18. Humoresque Boogie [Brooks]
19. Rock & Roll Boogie [Brooks]
20. Variety Boogie [Brooks]
21. Bluesin' the Boogie [Brooks]
22. Teenage Boogie [Brooks]
23. Boogie Celeste [Brooks]
24. Stompin' the Boogie [Sykes]
25. Honky Tonk Boogie [Brooks]
26. Mama's Blues [Brooks]
27. Misty [Burke/Garner]
28. Rhapsody in Blue [Gershwin]

Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is further described below.