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Missy Higgins, Fiona Apple and others pay tribute to Cy Coleman

Do you have any clue who Cy Coleman is? No, it’s not the hot drag king that takes the stage at your local club. He was a legendary songwriter whose tunes were made famous by the likes of Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and Nat King Cole to name a few.

Don’t feel bad, I didn’t know his name either until I got news of a compilation album being made in his honor. Some of my very favorite artists, and probably some of yours, are covering his greatest tracks.

When I see the name Patty Griffin, I don’t care if it’s a box of Cocoa Puffs, I’m buying it. The tiny redhead with the gigantic voice has gotten me through some pretty dark days. She is one of the most gifted lyricists of our time and while she isn’t singing her own song on this album, anything she’s singing is inevitably magic.

Jill Sobule may be known most for singing about kissing girls way before Katy Perry ever did but she’s also got seven albums under her belt and has reached critical acclaim.

Say the words Fiona Apple, Nikka Costa and Missy Higgins in front of a group of lesbians and you’re likely to hear more than a few high-pitched “Squeee!” sounds. Those two have made it onto the album as well.

You know, come to think of it, the more I look at the artists associated with this compilation, the more I’m thinking it simply had to have been made with us gal pals in mind. To which I say, “Thankyouverymuch!”

New West Records is releasing the album and had this to say about it:

All tracks were newly arranged by producer/pianist Dave Palmer at the suggestion of Chrysalis Music’s Kenny MacPherson and Jamie Cerreta, in conjunction with Damon Booth, a veteran A&R man (EMI Music Publishing, Warner Bros. Records) who took over the running of Notable Music, Coleman’s publishing company, in 2006. The friends were determined to spotlight the 2,000-song catalog of the gifted composer whose work had yet to be as fully appreciated as that of his peers.

Coleman was the last major contributor to the Great American Songbook. He’s responsible for timeless songs such as “Witchcraft,” “The Best Is Yet To Come,” “Big Spender” and “The Rules Of The Road” made timeless by Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole, Barbara Streisand, Dusty Springfield, Ella Fitzgerald and Peggy Lee. Ella Fitzgerald won a Grammy for her performance of “The Best Is Yet To Come.'”

Coleman’s credits are incredibly impressive and it seems like this is a fitting tribute. Personally, I might just take the time right now to pre-order this baby.

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