Josephine Baker - A Centenary Tribute: Songs from 1930-1953

This CD celebrates the centenary of the extraordinary Josephine Baker, the American who conquered first France, then the rest of Europe! The 27 tracks here span the years 1930-1953, including five numbers that are appearing on CD for the first time. CD booklet includes French lyrics translated into English and rare photos. Includes "Pretty Little Baby," "Dis Moi Josephine," "Love is a Dreamer," "I'm Feelin' Like a Million,""Araid to Dream," "Besame Mucho," "Brazil," "Serenade Celeste," "You're the Greatest Love," and more. Album Description

Sepia features 5 vocalists with 5 different styles

> I have the greatest respect for and owe a lot to the gallant little producers who are restoring old recordings to CDs. So to my list of such companies as DRG and Archeophone, I can now add a delightful little label from London, England called Sepia.


I have just listened to 5 CDs, each featuring a female vocalist from the past, and was fascinated by their contrasting styles.


"Starring Betty Rhodes" (Sepia 1069) showcases a singer whose ""I don't want to walk without you" I have used so many times in my talk about the songs of World War II. Never the great star, she was always around doing a far better than average job in a few films and countless recordings. Here she sings 26 numbers that include "Somewhere in the night," "What is this thing called love?" "Rumors are flying," and "Buttons and bows." Her style is easy going and very very pleasant.


By way of contrast, "Betty Garrett: Star of Stage & Screen" (1038) is filled with lively but never over the top renditions of 28 songs such as "Manhattan," "Take me out to the ballgame," "Side by side," and "Home cookin'." She is accompanied along the way by such luminaries as Milton Berle, Vic Damone, Jimmy Durante, and Gene Kelly. Garrett, by the way, became a star when she brought down the house in "Call Me Mister" singing "South America, take it away." A real fun CD.


I seem to remember the featured singer of "Hildegarde: Entrancing Music" (1066) as far back as my preteens. She was quite popular in cabarets and nightclubs, with a style that was friendly without being obnoxious (as are too many nightclub acts) and with a voice that could be sexy one minute and little girlish the next. Among the 26 numbers on this CD, she is best in slow ballads like "The touch of your lips" and "Every time we say goodbye," not quite comfortable with "Alexander's Ragtime Band" and "The sidewalks of New York." The recordings used are in chronological order from 1936 to 1944 and afford a very pleasurable 78 minutes of listening. Hildegarde, by the way, passed away as recently as July 2005.


Also having gained fame as a cabaret singer in Europe is the star of "Gretta Keller: Remember Me & Other Intimate Songs" (1063). Equally at home in German and English, this chanteuse renders 25 songs, recorded in the mid-1950s, that include "The very thought of you," "They can't take that away from me," "These foolish things," and "Time on my hands." Her smoky voice will conjure up memories of Marlene Dietrich; but Keller is her own self in these engaging renditions of mostly familiar ballads.


The fifth and probably most familiar name on this cross-section of Sepia CDs appears on "Hommage a Josephine Baker: Disque du centenaire" (1065). This centenary tribute to the great singer includes songs recorded from 1930-53, in English and French (just listen to "Peg o' my heart" as "Peg de mon Coeur"!). Here is the voice of a St. Louis slum child who decided to make the most of her talents, even if it meant going to Paris to do so, and building herself into a great exponent of the French music hall.


Her voice can go from high soprano to what sounds like a mezzo, and she sounds great at any pitch. Included in the 27 songs on this CD are "La Congo blicoti," "Besame mucho," "Brazil," and "A message from the man in the moon." This disc should do a lot to make up for the cold reception she got upon her return to her native soil safter her European triumphs.


I am assured by the gentlemen running Sepia that these discs are available through amazon.com. And by the way, think what excellent gifts these would make, since you can be sure very few people will already have them in their collections.
May 20, 2006

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