Sarah Vaughan's Golden Hits!!! [Mercury/PolyGram]

Performer: Sarah Vaughan
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Includes original liner notes by Lou Sidran & new liner notes by Will Friedwald. All tracks have been digitally remastered. Personnel: Sarah Vaughan (vocals). Audio Remasterer: Dennis Drake. Liner Note Author: Will Friedwald. Unknown Contributor Roles: Paul Ramey; Richard Seidel. An overview of the legendary singer's golden years with Mercury Records, GOLDEN HITS comprises mostly pop material. Backed by a string orchestra, some of these selections, such as "Broken Hearted Melody," even contain a tincture of early Motown. Pundits have argued that Vaughan's pop hits somehow degraded her; however, she infused artistry into any song or setting, and the highly arranged accompaniments and unique tunes she performed suited her attitude and technique, if not her potential. Vaughan's jazzier side, as evidenced on her 1954 self-titled release with Clifford Brown, is understated on GOLDEN HITS (although her version of "Lullaby of Birdland" from that album is included here). Nonetheless, GOLDEN HITS highlights the singer's ability to coax deep meaning from a lyric. On "Tenderly" and "Misty," she croons with her characteristic supple and rounded tone, savoring every note along the way. GOLDEN HITS showcases Sarah Vaughan's wide range, perfectly controlled vibrato, and intuitive gift for lyrical irony.

Sarah Vaughan's name was synonymous with jazz singing for two generations. She probably ranks as a close second only to Ella Fitzgerald in terms of influence, vocal range, and sheer, consistent brilliance. Her knowledge of bebop, gained during her '40s stint with Billy Eckstine, enabled her to advance the harmonic side of her work beyond that of her contemporaries. Throughout the '50s, she produced a torrent of albums in either a popular vein for Mercury Records, or more jazz-oriented material for subsidiary label EmArcy.

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