Waiter, Make Mine Blues pairs
Anita O'Day with arranger
Russ Garcia, whose delightful and imaginative treatments perfectly complement the singer's lithe vocals. West Coast greats including
Barney Kessel and
Bud Shank are also on hand to lend the session an even lighter, sweeter tone that couches the melancholy the album's title portends -- songs like "The Thrill Is Gone" and "When Sunny Gets Blue" capture
O'Day at her most affecting, balancing her trademark sophistication with the world-weary resignation of one who has loved and lost.