When vocalist/pianist
Shirley Horn resurfaced after a long spell away from the recording studio and signed with Verve Records in 1987, the
jazz world at large discovered what many of
Horn's devoted followers already knew: that she is a huge talent and one of the great
jazz singers to follow in the footsteps of legends like
Sarah Vaughan and
Billie Holiday. On her records for Verve,
Horn never dazzles with flawless technique or stunning vocal tricks. Instead, she enthralls the listener with her intimate delivery and her understated yet almost visceral emotional power. Since that first record in 1987, she has released a string of good-to-excellent records, and But Beautiful: The Best of Shirley Horn on Verve compiles some of the finest moments from them, including the lovely "You Won't Forget About Me," which features
Miles Davis on trumpet, maybe the best take on "Fever" since
Peggy Lee's, the achingly slow and torchy "But Beautiful," and the lightly swinging "Come and Dance with Me," a track that shows that while
Horn's main strength is ballads she also can swing like nobody's biz. The disc also gives a tiny taste of
Horn's '60s sound with the inclusion of "The Great City" from 1963's Shirley Horn with Horns and has three bonus tracks recorded live in 2005 with a tight combo that show
Horn has a surplus of style and class. ~ Tim Sendra, All Music Guide
