– Just $6 on Amazon and an amazing bang for your buck, this Billy Stewart collection should amp up any gathering. I was first exposed to Mr. Stewart’s music while living in Charleston, SC, and would hear his music blasting whenever I made it into a bar on Shag music night. Shag dancing is a type of low-country dancing which is done while listening to “beach” music, an infectious, up-tempo, swing sound usually resulting in, at the very least, foot stomping. This is a soul album, but Stewart breaks (or creates) many of the tried and true rules. He positively put everything he had into his songs and refused to be put into any R&B mold. One of the most unique voices I’ve ever heard associated with soul, Billy’s way with a song is to just own it. This is a collection of music he worked on while recording with Chess Studios in the early 1960’s, and you can tell, as early as it is, that it’s fairly groundbreaking. The Billy Stewart version of George Gershwin’s “Summertime” is beyond incredible. It is like hearing the song for the very first time. Stewart rolls in “beeps,” “bops,” human, soul-kissed inflections and even humor into his music along with some infectious and accomplished piano playing. I’m having a difficult time explaining the actual sound because I haven’t heard too much like it. Part Marvin Gaye, part Fats Domino with touches of Sam Cooke, Billy Eckstine and Little Richard, Billy Stewart ends up being a stand-alone amalgam of what’s rich in R&B. With cocktails or without, this record will send you to a very cool place. Songs include Summertime, Secret Love, How Nice It Is, and more.

– Early Ricky Nelson is a wonderful thing. It’s optimistic because we’re looking back; nostalgic because even the love dilemmas presented on this collection seem mild now; plus it’s very cool, with clean rock-‘n-roll lines. So…it fits in with a cocktail party. Having said all that, Ricky Nelson’ s early rockabilly music just kicks ass! This stuff absolutely holds up and, for me, seems every bit as groundbreaking as early Elvis, Sun Studio’s music, or any other young Rock and Roll. I’ve always seen Nelson, through his early stuff, as sort of lashing out at the squeaky-clean Nelson reputation he earned through the TV show. With this package you get all the classics … and they’re classics for a reason. Clean, raw guitar rhythms and leads, strong drumming and bass and that Ricky Nelson singing voice which just has to be one of the most beautiful and haunting of all the 50’s ones. Nelson fits well into an evening of cocktails. I play him when I know I’m surrounded by real music fans. This kid, and don’t get me wrong, I love his later music too, is infectious and accomplished. Ricky Nelson very much knew exactly what he was doing when playing rock ‘n roll! Songs include Hello Mary-Lou, Lonesome Town, Be-Bop Bay, and more.

– I have a much more complete Buddy boxed-set, but I wanted to include this small, twelve song collection in our recommendations just to point out that you should have some Buddy Holly in your entertainment collection. Much more than just an artist to listen to while cocktailing, I’ve decided to just stop there and point out that this cornerstone of American rock and roll is just a fantastic choice tucked into an evening of food, fun and drinks. "Greatest Hits," I’m reluctantly learning, you just sometimes have to go to as album choices for cocktail parties. Unless you’re creating a Buddy Holly evening, a short collection which celebrates and shares his music, at the very least, puts the music out there. We all know who Buddy Holly is, what he sang and how he died, but I love to remind people that he’s still out there when entertaining. That clock-tick introduction to "Everyday," a Holly classic, will draw your guests immediately into the music, and remind them, if only for a minute, that this pioneer of rhythm-rock has never really left the building.

-Let’s go deep into the land of living room furniture covered in rich cool plastic, cardigan sweaters, and annual attempts at rose growing competitions. Doris Day, for me, is what Mr. Wilson was probably listening to as Dennis the Menace tore up his flower beds or snuck a hand into his cookie jar. In many ways, especially through film, Doris Day was 60’s grown-up for me. “Send Me No Flowers” is still one of my favorite guilty pleasures … as are the tunes on this CD. I tend to listen alone in my den as my wife complains of a sugar-headache whenever I "go Day," but I like her. I like Doris Day music like I like a stack of old “Life” magazines, or a good cup of coffee served in a cup with a saucer. She’s "old-school" to the max, but she’s also a really good singer of really pleasant songs that still have their place – a proper singer for proper times which often include a proper martini or manhattan. These are mostly songs you’ll recognize from the credits of her movies. Teachers Pet, Secret Love, A Guy Is A Guy, and of course, Que Sera, Sera, should send you happily strolling down daisy choked lanes where comfortable, slightly risqué sensible furniture awaits on which to rest, listen and have a drink.