Best of Lena Horne

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Customer reviews

review by: date: 2007-07-23 rating:
LOVELY LENA LINGERS LONGER ON LIVELY 60's RECORDINGS AND REFLECTIVE 90's CUTS
Having celebrated her 90th birthday in June, the legendary Lena remains an iconic figure with a long career dating back to her period as a dancer in the famous Cotton Club revues during the Thirties before moving on to become a solo singer with appearances with the Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway Orchestras. In Hollywood during the 40's, she sparkled in the 20th Century Fox musical melodrama STORMY WEATHER while her memorable MGM screen musicals included CABIN IN THE SKY, TILL THE CLOUDS ROLL BY and WORDS AND MUSIC. Later she triumphed as a supper club entertainer with stage work in JAMAICA (1958) and her 1981 one woman show, THE LADY AND HER MUSIC adding kudos to a fabulous career. br / br /Despite involvement with the US Civil Rights Movement during the Sixties, Lena recorded some lively albums with one disc of this excellent overview devoted to tracks from three United Artists albums (FEELIN' GOOD, LENA IN HOLLYWOOD and SOUL) released in 1965/66. Songs include up-tempo versions of new songs ON A WONDERFUL DAY LIKE TODAY, FEELIN' GOOD and THE BOY(GIRL) FROM IPANEMA with tasty ballads I WANNA BE AROUND, SOFTLY AS I LEAVE YOU and a notable reading of Lennon and McCarthy's AND I LOVE HIM providing fine contrast. Fresh reinventions of oldies and goodies HELLO YOUNG LOVERS, SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, and WILLOW WEEP FOR ME join movie songs MOON RIVER, IT HAD BETTER BE TONIGHT and IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD, with a more contemporary viewpoint proving no problem when Lena zips through the rhythmic machinations of I GOT A WORRIED MAN, Bacharach and David's WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW IS LOVE and a bluesy UNCHAINED MELODY. br / br /Thirty years later, Lena's voice had mellowed and despite some loss of power, the necessary element of style, perfect phrasing and innovation still remained intact with the added attraction of an older and wiser reflection on life, transferred to some Blue Note albums, with the second disc dipping into some outstanding cuts from WE'LL BE TOGETHER AGAIN, AN EVENING WITH LENA HORNE and BEING MYSELF, released during the 90's plus SEASONS OF A LIFE released in 2006. Of the songs, DAY FOLLOWS DAY has Johnny Mathis on board for a samba-styled opus and PRELUDE TO A KISS is just one of several tracks which reappraise the Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn legacy. Lena also grabs Sondheim's current OLD FRIEND but whether in recording studio or before an audience, generally prefers to look back, choosing AUTUMN IN NEW YORK, THE LADY IS A TRAMP and other standards, with naturally a reworking of her signature song, STORMY WEATHER to conclude the disc. br / br /Other compilations may offer recordings from Lena's earlier work, but this excellent budget-priced review of her later career is a satisfying opportunity to appreciate her forward-looking approach which does much to confirm why she has enjoyed such longevity as an amazing entertainer. br /

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