Lady Sings the Blues, Vol. 2 continues Capitol's trawl through its nearly never-ending vaults for
torch songs capable of crossover to a new audience enjoying contemporary
pop vocalists like
Norah Jones,
Jamie Cullum, and
Katie Melua. Just as well selected as its predecessor, this second volume also offers a greater range, moving from loose-limbed
soul singers
Aretha Franklin and
Joss Stone to the nearly operatic
Shirley Bassey and
Nancy Wilson in just a few tracks. Programmed well, it also allows for a range of moods and settings that don't always have to be melancholy and solitary;
Helen Merrill's historic 1954 meeting with the lyrical trumpeter
Clifford Brown on "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To" manages to be warm and very nearly mournful, all at once, while
Sarah Vaughan relies on
Count Basie for a little buoyancy on "I Cried for You" and pianist
Jacky Terrasson extends the emotional range of "Little Boy Lost" far more than even
Cassandra Wilson could do on her own. The list of preeminent vocalists --
Billie Holiday,
Dinah Washington,
Sarah Vaughan,
Ella Fitzgerald,
Kay Starr -- is definitive, and the compilation is excellent. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
