Search - Lena Horne :: Cocktail Hour: Lena Horne

Silken-voiced Lena Horne's early style is the focus of this two-CD set. Backed by a small orchestra, Horne and her clear, strong voice had not yet become as distinctive as it would later, but she still has an inviting magic, placing you front and center at the 1940s-era bistro of your choice. On several blues tracks, including "St. Louis Blues" and "Beale Street Blues," she shows a gritty Bessie Smith influence, whereas on "Good for Nothin' Joe" and "I Feel So Smoochie," a bit of the early Billie Holiday teasing sound comes through. But on cuts like "Take Love Easy" and "I Don't Want to Cry Anymore," she sounds like nothing more than the archetypical torch singer from every film noir, dreamy and emotionally vulnerable. Throughout, it's easy to imagine a young Horne, svelte and in the spotlight, luring her audience into the elegant, sad world her voice so touchingly suggests. A word to the wise: the set lacks info on the individual sessions, preferring instead to pack the CDs with tunes and leave the cover for sleek, cocktail-inspired art. --Wally Shoup