Smooth Sounds

Susannah McCorkle was one of the most important singers of the last quarter of the 20th century. When she emerged in the 1970s, she was one of the first vocalists in her generation to explore the American popular song as opposed to more current pop and rock songs. A countless number of singers have since gone back to Gershwin, Porter and Berlin classics but McCorkle was the leader in that field for quite some time. She brought beauty to the lyrics she interpreted, had a very attractive and expressive (yet subtle) voice and always swung.

Ballad Essentials is drawn from several of her CDs dating from 1983-2000 with the emphasis on slower tempos. Among the highlights are "For All We Know," "Skylark," "The People That You Never Get To Love" and "P.S. I Love You." Most unusual and memorable is Susannah McCorkle's rendition of "There's No Business Like Show Business" which slows down the showstopper to a crawl and includes many rarely sung and touching verses.

Michael Feinstein became famous in the mid-1980s as one of the top cabaret singer-pianists. He believes in singing lyrics very straight, always being careful to stick to the original intent of the composer.

For his project with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Feinstein is accompanied by Alan Broadbent's arrangements of a dozen pieces. The set includes such ballads as "The Folks Who Live On The Hill," "By Myself," "Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year" and the obscure "I Won't Send Roses." Throughout, Michael Feinstein is heard in prime form, doing justice to the music that he loves.

—Scott Yanow