ARTIST: Dinah Washington
TITLE: Music For Lovers
LABEL: Blue Note Records
GENRE: Jazz
PLAYTIME: 34:18 min
SIZE: 39,5 MB
RIP DATE: Feb-21-2007
Track List
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01 Lover Man 03:03
02 For All We Know 03:16
03 Romance In The Dark 02:15
04 I Didn't Know About You 03:09
05 You're A Sweetheart 02:30
06 Blue Gardenia 02:49
07 I'm Gonna Laugh You Out Of My 02:54
08 The Good Life 02:36
09 That Old Feeling 02:22
10 If It's The Last Thing I Do 03:38
11 He's My Guy 03:31
12 I'll Never Stop Loving You 02:15
Release Notes
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Dinah WashingtonÆs biting, blues-smoked phrasing is often cited
as the primordial ground from which singers such as Esther
Phillips and Nancy Wilson blossomed, and through them, more
contemporary vocalists like Chaka Khan and Patti Labelle
subsequently bloomed. This new collection of ballads draws from
WashingtonÆs 1962-63 recording prime, a fertile period when she
released several albums of ballads and blues, arranged and
conducted by longtime Frank Sinatra favorite Don Costa, for
Roulette and Mercury Records.
Like every female blues/jazz vocalist of the past century,
Washington operates in a world first illuminated by the
legendary Billie Holiday. HolidayÆs classic composition ôLover
Manö opens this set in dark shadow; the instrumentation lays out
a typical ôballad with stringsö homogenized session, but
WashingtonÆs vocal phrasing burns more acidic, almost bitter.
Washington also mulls over a ôBlue Gardeniaö (HolidayÆs
trademark flower) accompanied by an ensemble that sounds smaller
and bluer.
ôRomance in the Darkö presents Washington at her wanton best;
she writhes under the cover of Billy ButlerÆs legendary
soul-jazz guitar, relaxing to bounce with the insouciant lilt of
the blues then grinding her hips down to turn out the final
verse in a voice thatÆs most authoritatively bad-ass and
beautiful, her own flower growing from the root of Bessie Smith.
Her interpretation makes it clear: she ainÆt talking about
romanceùsheÆs talking about ballinÆ in the dark. But for the
most of the rest of album, Sings for Lovers presents the Dinah
Washington so focused on refinement that she distills the blues
completely out of her repertoire.