Dinah's Best
Peter Durward Harris | 04/15/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"for Capitol, the company which rescued her from the album limbo of RCA, which didn't have a clue how to conceive and package an LP. Capitol gave her six LPs with six strong ideas. The Blues album with Red Norvo is insinuating and sassy start to finish. The South album is a bonfire, highlighted by a lush reading of "Moon Country." This is not the Dinah you knew from T.V. but a much more sophisticated, subtle, wise and free artist. Terrific orchestrations."
Two early sixties themed albums
Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 05/06/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Dinah had many hit singles on the American charts before rock'n'roll changed the face of popular music forever, but continued to record great music into the sixties. The two albums here, from 1960 and 1962 respectively, provide the evidence of that.
The first album is a collection of mainly blues songs featuring musical backing the Red Norvo Quintet. I'm sure that nobody would claim that Dinah was a blues singer as such, but she clearly loves these songs and sings them superbly in her easy-listening style. There are a few songs (Irving Berlin's It's alright with me, for example) that maybe don't belong on a collection of blues songs but I don't mind as Dinah was in great form when she recorded this album and I cannot fault anything here. The Red Norvo Quintet had worked with Dinah previously, notably on her TV show, and their understated but exquisite musicianship complements Dinah's singing ideally. From the opening Bye bye blues to the closing Lover come back to me, this is a truly outstanding, if mainly mellow, album. Despite its tag as an album of blues songs, it is a generally upbeat album.
The second album, Dinah down home, is a very upbeat album full of songs of the American Deep South - a mix of swinging Dixieland and mellow blues. It therefore makes a logical companion album to the Red Norvo album although arranger Jack Marshall provides the backing music this time. The album maintains the quality of its predecessor but contains fewer ballads and more swinging songs, which include Roll on Mississippi roll on, Way down yonder in New Orleans, The devil is afraid of music and Carolina in the morning.
While Dinah's most important recordings date from the forties, this twofer is highly recommended to all of Dinah's fans."
Dinah sings!!!
Marc -A Comtois | Brampton, ON Canada | 07/29/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"...And the lady could sing! Another one of the great singers America has produced. Unfortunately, you don't hear much about Dinah these days. The "whys" would fill a book.
Fortunately, some people still care about quality material. Ray Purslow (Birmingham, UK), the driving force behind this re-issue (and tons of others) is one of them.
Dinah is comfortable with the "Blues" material - mostly familiar standards - and conveys that comfort to the listener in her relaxed, carefree and friendly manner. Another favorite, Red Norvo, lends his usual steady hand to the 12 tracks. The "Down Home" set is Dinah, Southern-style, material she was born to sing. Her version of SOUTH is a standout.
You want more of this, then you gotta buy this. It's your gain!
Kudos and thanks to Mr. Purslow.
"
Track Listings (24) - Disc #1