1. The Man I Love
2. Please Be Kind
3. Happiness is a Thing Called Joe
4. (Just One Way to Say) I Love You
5. That’s All
6. Something Wonderful
7. He’s My Guy
8. Then I’ll Be Tired of You
9. My Heart Stood Still
10. There is No Greater Love
11. If I Should Lose You
12. The Folks Who Live on the Hill
13. Oh, Didn’t He Ramble
14. I’m Gonna’ Meet My Sweetie Now
15. Somebody Loves Me
16. Sugar
17. Bye Bye Blackbird
18. He Needs Me
19. I Never Knew
20. What Can I Say After I Say I’m Sorry
21. Sing a Rainbow
Like most of the great singers
of the past, Peggy Lee served her time as
a Big Band vocalist, particularly her time
with the Benny Goodman Orchestra. Goodman
was a perfectionist and nothing less would
do from his musicians, his singers or for
that matter himself. Born in the USA of Scandinavian
parents, Peggy Lee did not enjoy a very happy
childhood, but maybe this helped her resolve
to make it to the top. The features of her
performance were perfect diction, perfect
pitching and a voice which is immediately
recognisable. Equally at home with a small
group or big band, she made some excellent
records. The ones she recorded with George
Shearing’s Quintet were perfection, unfortunately
none of those tracks are in this recording.
These recordings made with
a large orchestra, including strings, contain
some great tunes: a glance down the list of
titles confirms this. I enjoyed hearing again
Then I’ll Be Tired of You, There is No
Greater Love and The Folks Who Live
on the Hill, each a classic example of
the standard tune.
The backing changes to a
Dixieland combo for the tracks from the film
Pete Kelly’s Blues. She used her superb
acting talents as well in the film. These
tracks start at track 14; unfortunately no
personnel details are given in the sleeve
notes. These are very difficult to read, being
printed in small red letters on a black background!
Personally I prefer Peggy in this more jazz-influenced
background, but I have never heard a poor
Peggy Lee record and I don’t expect I ever
will! What Can I Say After I Say I’m Sorry
has a nice tenor solo in the middle and has
a great musical feel and conviction about
it.
Sing Me a Rainbow
is a Peggy Lee classic that sounds just as
fresh as when it was released.
Peggy Lee was a high-quality
vocalist and later in her life a composer
and actress. This record celebrates a significant
singer in the jazz world. Even though she
did not go in for scat singing or straying
too far from the tune, she always delivered
quality in everything she did.
Don Mather
CD Reviews
Delta
Leisure 26596
