Search - Nancy Wilson :: Yesterday's Love Songs Today's Blues

A great album that emphasizes Wilson's versatility.

Mary Whipple | New England | 01/09/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Nancy Wilson can do it all--and does on this CD from 1963. A singer who sings some jazz, some pop, some blues, some soul, and some standards from the Great American Songbook, she manages to do everything well and appeal to everyone, a statement proven by the fact that during the sixties, she was second only to the Beatles in total sales at Capitol Records.



With her light, high voice and great feel for tempo and phrasing, she ranges here from an Eartha Kitt-like sound in "Bewitched" to the gorgeous ballad "Never Let me Go" and one of her best songs, the energetic "My Sweet Thing," with its syncopated pop rock sound. Throughout the album, Gerald Wilson, arranger and band leader, shows off her young voice (she is only 26 here) to its best advantage. Though he is leading a big band with unlimited potential for a big sound, he uses the orchestra almost as a quartet--the string section operates almost as a solo instrument, and the woodwind section sounds like a single sax or clarinet--despite its size. The result is that the huge orchestra never competes with Nancy Wilson, and despite its size, it sounds appropriate to a solo voice.



Some of the best tracks here are blues songs. "Sufferin' with the Blues" offers Wilson an opportunity to wail, while the five songs on the bonus tracks (the "Today's Blues" section), featuring Wild Bill Davis on organ as backup, are among the best on the CD. "West Coast Blues," a fast, off-tempo song, is a star turn for Wilson, with unusual phrasing, as she carries words across beats and measures, and fully lets go emotionally. "Tell Me The Truth," a song in which Wilson whispers that she wants the truth about her relationship, became one of her biggest hits. "My Sweet Thing," with its syncopated pop/rock beat, the most unusual song on the album, is one in which Wilson carries the tune and rhythm into pop dimensions.



If you are looking for a CD of great jazz, look at Sarah Vaughan's "Crazy and Mixed Up." If you are looking for a CD of soul, check out Aretha Franklin's many great albums. But if you are looking for a terrific album which offers a little of many genres--an album in which the vocalist can do it all--then play the samples of Nancy Wilson's "Yesterday's Love Songs" and buy this CD. This is a terrific album by one of the great, versatile singers from the last third of the 20th century. n Mary Whipple

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EXCELLENT AGAIN

Darrren12000 | Washington, DC | 08/02/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a wonderful album. Nancy makes superb interpretations of some classic tunes: Never Let Me Go, The Song is You, Someone to Watch over Me, The Best is Yet to Come. How surprising that she wasn't on the VH1 top 100 Female Singer list, a list that included a wide variety of artist, including jazz singers; what a shame...."

What my dad used to play on his 'record box'

Gabrielle T. Daniels | Madison, WI | 01/11/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For nostalgia's sake, I wanted to hear 'Satin Doll'--and I felt that it wasn't enough. One of the last of the great song stylists, Nancy Wilson deserves to be played over, and over and over to get the full effect. A great voice."