CD1
Singin' 'n Swingin'
1. The Way You Look Tonight
2. I'm Beginning To Think You Care
3. Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea
4. Everytime
Annie by Candlelight
5. Gypsy In My Soul
6. I Love Paris
7. I Didn't Know About You
8. The Lady's In Love With You
9. `Taint What You Do
10. Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying
11. Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea
12. Don't Worry `bout Me
Nocturne for Vocalist
13. I've Told Every Little Star
14. Manhattan
15. Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone
16. Skylark
Gypsy
17. Overture
18. Everything's Coming Up Roses
19. You'll Never Get Away
20. Some People
21. All I Need Is A Boy
22. Small World
23. Together
24. Let Me Entertain You
25. Reprise
26. Single - Annie's Lament
CD2
A Gasser!
1. Everything I've Got
2. Invitation To The Blues
3. I Didn't Know About You
4. I Don't Want To Cry Anymore
5. Lucky Day
6. I Was Doin; All Right
7. You Took Advantage Of Me
8. You're Nearer
9. Lucky So And So
10. Nobody's Baby
Sings a Song with Mulligan
11. I Feel Pretty
12. How About You
13. I've Grown Accustomed To Your Face
14. This Time The Dream's On Me
15. Let There Be Love
16. All Of You
17. Give Me The Simple Life
18. This Is Always
19. Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea
20. It Don't Mean A Thing
21. Single - Twisted
22. Single - Farmer's Market
Annie Ross may be best known as a member of the vocal trio Lambert,
Hendricks & Ross, but she was famous in her own right before she
joined them in 1957. She had already showed her expertise in vocalese
in 1952 with the hit singles Twisted and Farmer's Market,
both of which are included on this generous double album. Vocalese
was the difficult art of singing lyrics to jazz tunes - generally
to solos by well-known jazz musicians. Twisted is still a classic
of the genre, with its tongue-in-cheek wit and tongue-twisting lyrics.
Yet this compilation shows that Annie is not only a vocalese virtuoso but a marvellous jazz singer in a more straightforward style. Besides the aforementioned singles, this collection provides a good cross-section of Annie's work in the 1950s, recorded in New York, Los Angeles and London. She exhibits a consistency of excellence: singing well in tune, with jazz sensibility and a feeling for the lyrics, which are delivered clearly. Her theatrical experience shows in the way she puts a song across, whether it is poignant or cheerful. Note, for instance, the laughter in her voice in Lucky Day, the emotion she injects into I Don't Want to Cry Any More, and the playful nursery atmosphere she brings to I Told Every Little Star. Her versatility is evident in the subtle differences she brings to the three versions of Between the Devil And The Deep Blue Sea.
A big bonus of this album is the high quality of the accompanying musicians. Drummer Tony Crombie proves himself an able pianist on the album Annie by Candlelight, while Buddy Bregman supplies some judicious arrangements for the songs from the musical Gypsy, with the backing musicians including Frank Rosolino, Stan Getz and the trumpeting Candoli brothers. The album called A Gasser! features Zoot Sims and Russ Freeman, and Annie Ross Sings a Song with Mulligan uses the classic Mulligan quartet with Chet Baker on trumpet.
My only complaint with this double Avid CD is the familiar one of the tiny type and barely-readable sleeve-notes. The type-size seems about what one would expect from someone writing the Lord's Prayer on the head of a pin. But the music is wonderful.
Tony Augarde
CD Reviews
Avid AMSC 1015
