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Ann Hampton Callaway - Blues
In The Night (Telarc)
Released - August 22, 2006
This disc flat out blew me away.
I've been a fan of Ms. Callaway's husky alto voice for the past ten years
or so. Found her mis-filed at Harmony House in Detroit with Ella
Fitzgerald.
Nice with a little light scat, works best on ballads, I thought.
Oh, my. All that is true, but this disc...oh, my.
Opens with an big-band original "Swingin' Away The Blues," which sounds so
familiar, it ought to be a standard.
And then. Well, you've never heard "Blue Moon" like this - in just under
six minutes, from a monologue to a gospel high. If you buy nothing else,
spend the buck at iTunes and grab this one. But you'll want it all. I
promise, you'll want it all.
Highlights for me include the standards - "Glory Of Love," along with
"It's All Right With Me," and the title tune, "Blues In The Night."
But the original (if politically incorrect) "I'm
Too-White-To-Sing-The-Blues Blues" is just a hoot, with lyrics like, "My
credit cards are paid up - except for MasterCard," well - you've just got
to hear it.
So many other talented folks went into this one - Ms. Callaway's sister,
Liz, and Tommy Newsom did much of the arrangement work.
Go. Listen at iTunes. Then buy it. Very highly recommended
  Three
and one-half microphones (out of four)
- Doug Boynton
(09/03/06) |
