The Mills Brothers
were immensely popular in prewar England, so when the British branch of the group's U.S. label,
Brunswick Records
, went bankrupt and was purchased by London-based
Decca Records
in 1932, it was a no-brainer to bring the brothers to the U.K. for a series of concerts and recording sessions for their new label. This brief collection brings together some of the highlights of those sessions, including wonderful versions of a pair of
Hoagy Carmichael
songs,
"Lazybones"
and
"Georgia on My Mind,"
and yet another rendition of
Duke Ellington
's
"Caravan,"
which saw the brothers vocally simulate a
jazz
orchestra -- horns and all -- in their amazing, patented style. Light, breezy, and well recorded, these 14 tracks make a wonderful introduction to one of the greatest vocal groups in the history of
pop
. ~ Steve Leggett