Dinah Washington - The Essential Dinah Washington: The Great Songs

Vintage Dinah

This CD brings back so many memories for me. I was always a fan of Dinah, and this was a great example of why. November 1, 2008

Dinah, you've got what it takes !!!

The Essential Dinah Washington: The Great Songs has a wonderful collection of excellent songs performed by the immortal Dinah Washington. Dinah doesn't get the recognition she deserves; but hopefully as her CDs continue to sell this will change. The artwork is very good; and the sound quality is excellent.

"I Get A Kick Out Of You" starts the CD with Dinah singing her heart out; her excellent timing impresses me and she never misses a beat! I love the sound of Dinah's voice and this jazzy rendition of "I Get A Kick Out Of You" really flies high as a jet! "My Devotion" is a classic tune Dinah loved to sing; and here you can truly enjoy the full richness of Dinah's vocal talents. Dinah's voice enchants me and I love every minute of it. There's also "What A Diff'rence A Day Made;" Dinah loved this song also and it helped her cross over from jazz to mainstream pop music in the late 1950s. "What A Diff'rence A Day Made" gets the royal treatment from Dian who sings this with all her heart and soul.

"I've Got You Under My Skin" works very well; Dinah sings this brilliantly and the drums enhance the natural beauty of this timeless ballad. "I Wanna Be Loved" features Dinah front and center with a big band style arrangement; this number holds its own very well. "Baby (You've Got What It Takes)" has Dinah teaming up with brook Benton. They may not have liked each other personally; but you'll never guess it when you hear this fine tune. Brook Benton and Dinah Washington sing this so well to make "Baby (You've Got What It Takes)" a smash hit number!" "Lover, Come Back To Me" gets a swift, jazzy tempo and Dinah sings this without a superfluous note.

"No More" stuns me with its beauty; Dinah's voice works so well to deliver this ballad more beautiful than I've ever heard it. "This Bitter earth" is another classic Dinah Washington hit that sends chills up and down my spine when I hear it--it's THAT good.

Dinah Washington truly was one of the best female vocalists of her time; and this CD proves it. I highly recommend this for fans of Dinah Washington. People who are new to Dinah will really love this album--it leaves you wanting more.

Thank you, Dinah! We will never forget you!
April 3, 2008

Dinah Washington - The Great Songs

I got this disc for the song "What a Diff'rence a Day Made," which,
in Spanish is "Cuando vuelvas a tu lado." The song is an all-time
favorite of mine. I did not find the recording to be as clear as
I would have liked. I'm keeping it, though. January 9, 2007

Must Have CD

Before buying this CD, I knew Dinah Washington best for her couple of top 10 hits such as What A Difference A Day Made and This Bitter Earth, and for her duets with Brook Benton. As this CD proves, there is so much more to her, and her 50s recordings found here show that she ranks among the blues, jazz and R&B greats. She gets some fine smokey arrangements as well on many of the cuts, with players such as Jimmy Cleveland and Wynton Kelly. Only one song here doesn't work for me and it's one I'd thought would be a killer, I've Got You Under My Skin. Powerful as the whole CD is, I think it peaks at the end, beginning with the Birth of the Blues/Don't Hurt Any More. This CD is for anyone with an interest in the history of mid-20th century jazz and blues and it's a just tribute to a wonderful singer. October 4, 2005

Somebody Do A Movie On This Woman...

...maybe it will wake my generation up to respect this woman. Her music and life is truly a discovery of wonder, love, comedy, and heartaches. If you thought Whitney's life is a mess, you need to research Dinah's. At least Dinah had fun, right? The one thing I can say about Dinah is that all her trials, happiness and misfortunate she always put them into her songs. This woman was not shy about being real when it came to her music and it didn't matter whether it was pop, jazz, blues or r&b. And unlike Whitney and today's singers, she was a TRUE professional singer. She never allowed her personal problems to affect her music. I wish somebody will do a movie about her life and get Jill Scott to play her. Until then, I will continue to listen to this woman's amazing music and dreaming of the day that she gets some respect. If you are new to Dinah, this is the collection you need to start with. February 10, 2004

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