MONICA LEWIS — But Beautiful (1958-2000) FLAC (tracks), lossless

As the voice of Chiquita Banana for more than 14 years, a guest on Ed Sullivan's first TV variety show, appearances in more than ten motion pictures, active in entertaining troops during the Korean War, Monica Lewis attained a degree of popularity in the late 40s and early 50s. Beginning her career as a vocalist and co-host on such shows as The Chesterfield Hour and Beat the Band she had an active career until her marriage in 1956. Her comeback in 1987 resulted in renewed interest in her earlier recordings and several of them have been reissued. On this Fresh Sound reissue of the Jubilee label's But Beautiful Lewis is backed by Jack Kelly's guitar and ensemble, the members of which remain a mystery. They do an admirable job in setting an attractive musical framework for Lewis' voice. Most of the tunes are romantic ballads with a mid-tempo piece now and then, like "Isn't This a Lovely Day." Sounding a lot like Dinah Shore with a dash of Julie London, Lewis shows a nice clear contralto with excellent diction and good phrasing. She can also be "girl next door" cute as on "Do It Again."
While she was no threat to supplant other top jazz/pop singers of the day, she was pleasant to listen to. The one downside to the release is that there's only 33 minutes of music, a parsimonious allotment for a CD. Dave Nathan  
Tracklist :
1. But Beautiful 2:46 
Johnny Burke / James Van Heusen
2. Isn't This a Lovely Day? 2:30 
Irving Berlin
3. You Don't Know What Love Is 3:25  
Gene DePaul / Don Raye
4. You Make Me Feel So Young 2:19  
Mack Gordon / Josef Myrow
5. You'd Better Go Now 2:18  
Robert Graham
6. What'll I Do? 3:18  
Irving Berlin
7. Do It Again 2:27 
Buddy DeSylva / George Gershwin
8. But Not for Me 3:06  
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
9. Fools Rush In 2:17  
Rube Bloom / Johnny Mercer
10. Am I Blue 2:26 
Harry Akst / Grant Clarke
11. I'll Do Anything for You 2:46 
Cliff Friend / Lew Pollack
12. People Will Say We're in Love 3:53
Oscar Hammerstein II / Richard Rodgers
Credits :
Orchestra - Jack Kelly And His Ensemble
Monica Lewis - Vocals