Pinky at her Best!
James F. Blose Jr. | 07/11/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Pinky is one of those unfortunately underappreciated artists who deserves the attention of any and all jazz vocal devotees. I own a wide variety of her recordings over a span of many decades. Although Pinky started recording way back in the 1950's, this album recorded in 2001 is clearly one of the best she has ever recorded. To say that she doesn't sound her age is an understatement. The stylish and smart accompaniment by Richard Rodney Bennett is a perfect match and the recording engineer / mixer here did a superb job of balancing the overall sound, as opposed to some of her other highly regarded recordings from almost 20 years earlier. The aural prescence is terrific, which would be quite unforgiving to any less than a stellar performance. Here, it only makes you appreciate exactly how wonderful Pinky still is. Her seasoned interpretation of the well worn Melancholy Baby and the underperformed Where Have You Been? are uniquely hers and bring new appreciation for songs that have been heard so many times before. Also included are other lesser known songs such as Leiber and Stoller's wonderful under-the-radar tune I Only Want Some. Anyone who appreciates artists like Irene Kral, Carol Sloane, Lurlean Hunter, or any of the other especially wonderful jazz vocalists who aren't superstars like Ella, Sarah, Carmen or Diana (though I love them all too) should own this album. It's great. No misgivings, no regrets."
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1