AMG Review of Exotic Moods of Les Baxter

Stephen Thomas Erlewine
All Music Guide

Over the course of two compact discs, The Exotic Moods of Les Baxter collects most of Baxter's biggest hits, plus a selection of rare and previously unreleased material. For casual fans, the collection is fine, if a little long -- two discs is a lot of Baxter for listeners with a passing interest in exotica. For the more dedicated easy listening/exotica collector, this compilation is useful, if a little frustrating, since much of this material is available on other collections. Still, this gives a good overview of the scope and variety of his music and it emphasizes his wilder, unpredictable side more effectively than Baxter's Best.