Given Margaret Whiting's limitations as a stylist, you certainly wouldn't expect an album of Jerome Kern-penned Broadway standards to rank among her jazziest, most lively LPs, but the great arranger Russ Garcia truly outdoes himself, masterminding a delightfully energetic session that's undeniably appealing. While Garcia and sidemen including altoist Bud Shank contribute much of the album's sense of swing, Whiting proves herself a far more fluid and rhythmic singer than her critics care to admit -- her clarion vocals achieve a nice balance between the theatricality of Kern's music and the pizzazz of Garcia's treatments. A pointed reminder that "wholesome" doesn't necessarily equate with "square." Jason Ankeny
Tracklist :
1. Why Was I Born? 3:22
Oscar Hammerstein II / Jerome Kern
2. Remind Me 2:55
Dorothy Fields / Jerome Kern
3. The Song Is You 3:32
Oscar Hammerstein II / Jerome Kern
4. I Won't Dance 2:25
Dorothy Fields / Otto Harbach / Oscar Hammerstein II / Jerome Kern / Jimmy McHugh
5. Don't Ever Leave Me 3:19
Oscar Hammerstein II / Jerome Kern / Traditional
6. I'm Old Fashioned 2:44
Jerome Kern / Johnny Mercer
7. All in Fun 3:06
Oscar Hammerstein II / Jerome Kern
8. Why Do I Love You? 2:34
Oscar Hammerstein II / Jerome Kern
9. Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man 3:57
Oscar Hammerstein II / Jerome Kern
10. A Fine Romance 3:39
Dorothy Fields / Jerome Kern
11. Look for the Silver Lining 2:56
Buddy DeSylva / Jerome Kern
12. All the Things You Are 3:49
Oscar Hammerstein II / Jerome Kern
13. Poor Pierrot 3:23
Otto Harbach / Jerome Kern
14. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes 3:57
Otto Harbach / Jerome Kern
15. Let's Begin 2:15
Otto Harbach / Jerome Kern
16. D'Ye Love Me? 3:24
Otto Harbach / Oscar Hammerstein II / Jerome Kern
17. Dearly Beloved 2:52
Jerome Kern / Johnny Mercer
18. Long Ago (And Far Away) 4:17
Ira Gershwin / Jerome Kern
19. The Way You Look Tonight 3:33
Dorothy Fields / Jerome Kern
20 You Couldn't Be Cuter 2:05
Dorothy Fields / Jerome Kern
21. Yesterdays 3:08
Otto Harbach / Jerome Kern
22. Bill 4:03
Oscar Hammerstein II / Jerome Kern / P.G. Wodehouse
23. She Didn't Say Yes 2:25
Otto Harbach / Jerome Kern
24. The Touch of Your Hand 3:42
Otto Harbach / Jerome Kern
Credits :
Arranged By, Conductor – Russell Garcia
Vocals – Margaret Whiting
Notes :
Recorded January and February 1960 in Los Angeles.
In collaboration with Russell Garcia, who devised the ingenious arrangements and conducted the orchestra for the set, Margaret Whiting has produced a treasury of some of the greatest popular songs written in our time. .jpg)
