All Alone by the Telephone pairs
Polly Bergen with arranger
Luther Henderson to create a deeply melancholy song cycle that explores romantic estrangement and isolation from a refreshingly adult perspective.
Bergen's dusky, world-weary vocals never resort to histrionics, finding their mode of expression in restraint, not release -- her thoughtful interpretations of material like "Glad to Be Unhappy," "Too Late Now," and "By Myself" strip the songs to their core, articulating their themes of loss with hard-fought maturity.
Henderson's sympathetic, meticulous arrangements are no less essential to the album's uncommon sophistication.