Audiophile Records
, to its everlasting credit, has become a home for
pop
singers who were once dominant in their field but as they (and their fans) got a bit older had a harder time finding recording contracts, even though their talent had diminished hardly a whit, if at all. More often than not their singing has matured, became more sophisticated, and the phrasing more subtle and meaningful. Such is the case with
Margaret Whiting
. Once one of the top
jazz
/
songstresses of the 1940s and 1950s, mostly with the
Capitol
and
Dot
labels, she went several years without a new release until this one.
Whiting
, as much as of any of her contemporaries, had a way of humanizing the material she sang. This ability, added to a maturing, straight-down-the-middle style and clear-as-crystal voice, makes one wonder why she was prematurely put out to pasture. This lady could and did sing with anybody in her heyday and nothing has changed. Joined by a septet of
Audiophile
in-house musicians, including the priceless pianist
Loonis McGlohon
,
prances through a play list of mostly up-tempo
standards
traditional pop
material. One of the album's prime tracks, however, is a
ballad
and on the title song,
"Come a Little Closer,"
the singer gets significant help from
Sam Wilhoit
on tenor. This album is no blast from the past by any means; rather it is the continuation of the career of one of America's all-time fine
singers. Recommended. ~ Dave Nathan