For Those in Love by Dinah Washington

I've been hunting around for the best Dinah Washington album. She's so great that you just keep imagining that somewhere, someplace, is the definitive Dinah Washington recording. The liner notes in this one say that she "sang well even when encumbered by syrupy, commercial settings . . . and had to put up with some very corny arrangements"- so I think we can all agree that finding a really excellent all-round album of her singing is not obvious. This is pretty close, although the Quincy Jones arrangements (oh, he must've been so young! 1955!) have some startling moments. The liner notes call them "functional and unobtrusive", oh my! Dunno about that.

My favourite song here is the sultry "Blue Gardenia", with Washington reaching bluesy heights that will have even the most inhibited of us whooping along. She has such a dignified approach to the lyric, very cool. This is the song you'd want to hear at the end of a movie, as the heroine turns to leave - that kind of vibe. Also lovely and pensive is "My Old Flame" - she is living that lyric when she sings it, no doubt about it.

Her approach is saturated with her blues and gospel background. This is probably what adds all the power and focus to her singing. She was a big influence on Aretha Franklin and Nancy Wilson, so you'd better listen up. Anyway, if you know of a better album, lemme know, but out of the ones I've got this is by far the best.

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