Morgana Rises, Teresa in Stereo, Max At His Maxi-est, Plus A Georgia Jazz Girl Secret Song!

Here's a tale to shiver your timbers before Halloween. On October 4th, 2008, Lina Morgana, an impoverished nineteen-year-old singer and songwriter born of Russian immigrant parents in Staten Island, New York, was on the cusp of superstardom when she either fell or deliberately jumped from a ten-story building. Barely six months later, in April of 2008 - and seemingly out of nowhere - "Just Dance," the first single from Lady Gaga, rocketed to the top of the charts. Why is this important? Because many believe that Gaga outright stole Lina's entire musical and visual persona. 

Sittin' Around With Liza, Doubling Up With Teresa, Monographic Formica, Plus A Zombie Dubstep Secret Song!

She may sing "What use is sitting alone in your room?" but dammit if Liza doesn't have more fun sittin' 'round than any person I know. Whether in a hot-cha! pose like above, or kicking up her heels forty years later below, nobody - and I mean nobody - works the sittin' biz like Liza! Sit, Liza, sit! Liza can hand-jive, of course, but did you know she can feet-jive, too? There really is no one like her.

Liza's so versatile, that before "Cabaret," she tried to break into the soft-rock market with "Come Saturday Morning," which didn't quite work, or at least not as much as going soft rock did for Streisand a decade later.

Undaunted, Liza next tried for country-soul in 1970's "New Feelin'" - a hot-cha Cheerful Exclusive! - the strategy being that she wouldn't sing rock songs, but instead, the Gershwin and Porter standards she was known for, but with a new country-soul vibe. That means twangy guitars, female gospel back-up singers and organ riffs on numbers like "Stormy Weather" and "How Long Has This Been Goin' On."

The reception was (ahem) mixed, at best, but it's fascinating to listen to now. Why? Because whatever musical milieu you put her in, Liza will always be Liza. Whether she's sittin' or not!

Like most rock, pop or electronic groups in the 80's and 90's, the group below frequently posed for pictures wandering about - thoughtfully, ponderously, slightly wind-blown - through moody wooded landscapes. I have no idea why I'm bringing this up, except to say that it never made much sense to me. But then a lot of things don't.

Like, why do some groups, who start out so fantastic, suddenly vanish after only one CD or so? Case in point is Mono, a forgotten, but singular, vocal trip-hop group. Heavily influenced by 1960's-era soundtrack composers (especially John Barry in his groove-a-licious phase), the group found some success in the U.S. with their 1998 CD "Formica Blues," but from there, the party was over. They disbanded after its release.

Once you listen to this CD - with haunting vocals by Siobhan De Mare and still modern-sounding production by Martin Virgo - you'll be left scratching your head. Were they too cool and sophisticated, or did they just get lost in the shuffle with similar-seeming, though less inventive, groups during that time? We'll never know, but trust me, you so want this CD. You really-really do.

Get this. More than a few people snickered when allegedly "helium-voiced" singer Teresa Brewer decided to move from pop to jazz.

They were soon eating those words, for Teresa, in what seemed like just a few short years, became almost universally beloved by the jazz community. The voice was as child-like and sunny as always, but you didn't need to listen all that closely to realize that jazz must have been her true calling all along. All the greats wanted to work with her, like Duke Ellington...

...in "Duke & Teresa," her 1973 LP which wins you over right from the start when she sings, "Swing with Duke! Swing with Duke!" She also worked with Count Basie...

...on 1973's "The Songs Of Bessie Smith," paying tribute to the renown blues singer in a sparkling set of her signature tunes. I've yet to meet anyone who hasn't had a smile brought to their face by listening to Teresa. Yes, she's that much fun.

Will the Secret Song File ever smile - even when hugged by her bestie? Probably not, but that's just the way she is. Will this endlessly inventive, experimental-electronica composer ever lose his touch? Let's hope not, because his latest 2-CD opus is thrilling, confounding and mesmerizing all at once.

Who is it? Hmm. How to put this. Okay, I got it. You know those things that chase after Brad Pitt in "World War Z?" No, I'm not talking his hair-styling crew (given how gorgeous his highlights and cut look throughout the movie) (but then his hair is always flawless). You know what's chasing after him, right? Okay, so spell it incorrectly. That's the name of this artist. And remember, no matter what the Secret Song File is doing, her hair will always be fierce.

Remember when hair conditioner was called cream rinse? Yeah, I liked it better that way, too. 

Give a hair-flip in the comments if you like!

Nancy And Teresa And Sunny, Too, Plus The Third Man And A ThoughtfulSecret Song!

Before Diane Krall, before Eva Cassidy and way before Snorah Norah Jones, there was Nancy LaMott, a New York City-based jazz and standards vocalist who was largely unknown outside of Manhattan cabaret circles. But just like Cassidy, tragedy finally brought her worldwide fame. She died of cancer at age 43 in 1995 - just as she was cresting a wave of national fame after performing (twice) at the Clinton White House. She married her longtime boyfriend from her hospital bed one hour before her death.

Okay, so boo-hoo, that's sad and all (no, really), but why are people still talking about her? Give a listen to "Beautiful Baby," my favorite LaMott CD, and you'll understand why. I honestly can't think of a modern-era singer whose voice is so pin-perfect clear, yet so heartfelt.

And guess who we have to thank for bringing LaMott her first blush of fame? Yes, Kathie. Yes, that one. I know, right? She was a huge fan and friend and introduced LaMott to national audiences. So the next time you're drinking a bottle of wine, give a toast to LaMott (but finish off the bottle for Kathie) (then pop the cork open on another) (Kathie would).

And now for another lovely lady, Miss Teresa Brewer, in all her fiery red-haired glory:

Teresa, as you may know, was one of the most popular jazz and R&B singers throughout the 1950's, and she started early, hitting the road at five-years-old with a touring radio show.

When you first listen to her live jazz and pop standards LP, "Live At Carnegie Hall & Montreux, Switzerland" (a Cheerful Exclusive! courtesy of my Cuban Luvah) (hooray!), you'll be wowed by her energy. Brewer may look delicate, but her voice soars - ka-bam! - like a canon shot. Yet she's also a great vocal stylist, and in this LP, all but bunny-hops from one genre to the next. It's delirious fun.

Hold tight, kiddies. When film-noir gets dark, it sometimes gets really-really dark. Have you seen Carol Reed's "The Third Man?" It's a great film-noir - and, yes, the director was Reed, a wildly underrated director. It wasn't Orson Welles, though many seem to think he was involved behind the camera. He wasn't, though he did write one hilarious line for his briefly featured character involving clocks, and I won't spoil the fun by quoting it here in case you haven't seen it.

Just as memorable as the film itself was Anton Karas' score, which made heavy use of the Viennese zither player, to both romantic and creepy effect. A well-respected musician, he had never composed anything before - nothing - when Reed tapped him for the soundtrack.

The movie was a smash, and the score was, too, which was mighty unusual not just because of the time period, but the genre of the movie. Who ran out and bought film-noir scores? For "The Third Man," they did. This edition has dialogue snippets throughout, but don't fret, they're between the music cuts, not imbedded, so you can easily remove or uncheck them in your MP3 player if you like.

Sometimes you just want to kick back with a cocktail (or another legal or illegal substance and such) and chill. Right? Am I right? (say yes). Well, then, Sunny and her boys have the perfect soundtrack for just such an occasion.

Okay, so maybe they're not boys, exactly (more like, um, you know, well-fed middle-aged jazz musicians), but whatever you want to call them, combined or otherwise, this collection of tasty-smooth, small-combo jazz numbers is a delight, and features a wonderful Boston-based jazz singer named Sunny Crownover. So shake the cocktail shaker or torch a fattie, as the kids say, because Sunny's got you covered. 

It's almost Halloween, so the Secret Song File is being extra careful in the shower these days. After all, some nut job dressed as a nurse or someone's dead mother might jump out with a big ol' butcher knife. You can never be too careful. 

Does this have anything to do with today's new-new-new CD? No. Does Bette Davis' first name mean anything? Yes. Just stick a "y" in there after the second "t." Is a layette - a midcentury set of linens for children - somehow involved? Yes. Just substitute a "v" for the "y." Is this the easiest set of hints ever? Yes, but then the Secret Song Film is feeling thoughtful and thankful (*cough!*), so just go with it. It won't happen again.

Have a puddytat in your household? Hide it come Halloween! No, really, I'm so-o-o serious. There's too many psychos out there.

In the meantime, meow and hiss in the comments, if you like.