January/February 1997

Susannah McCorkle
The Songs of Johnny Mercer
The Jazz Alliance

By Marcela Breton

McCorkle's singing is wonderfully reminiscent of the young Billie Holiday. Recorded in 1977, she is backed on this release by a quintet of British musicians, including pianist Keith Ingham, trumpeter Digby Fairweather, and tenorist Danny Moss. Moss's breathy, Webster-ian blowing partners perfectly with McCorkle's smoky, sexy and intelligent vocals on "Fools Rush In," "I'm Old Fashioned," and "Talk to Me Baby." "My New Celebrity" is a humorous romp. Ingham shines on the beautiful, infrequently heard "How Little We Know." - Marcela Breton