The over-used, well-worn phrase "inimitable style" has real meaning when used to describe
Peggy Lee's vocalizing. As one of those few artists whose voice is immediately recognizable, she has a recorded legacy of immense proportions. Capitol captures a bit of this legacy on a reissue of two of
Lee's 1964 albums for that label. They were cut during a period when
Lee was churning out LPs one after another for that label. Typically the play list was a combination of standards and forgettable pop tunes of the day as well as some melodies which have become associated with Ms Lee, such as "A Lot of Livin; to Do." On
In the Name of Love,
Lee is accompanied by large orchestras conducted by Dick Hazzard,
Shorty Rogers, and
Bill Holman. On the second album,
Lee has an outstanding small group backing her headed by
Lou Levy on some cuts. On the others,
Billy May's big band is present, fortunately without the exaggerated arrangements
May was wont to use from time to time.
Mays' band included some notable musicians like
Conrad Gozzo,
Manny Klein,
Ted Nash and
Milt Bernhart for this session. Despite the presence of the pop fluff, there are several songs which benefit from patented
Lee treatment, including "I Got Lost in His Arms" (with a slight Latin beat), "The "Boy" from Ipanema," "How Insensitive" and the country-tinged "In the Name of Love." From Ballads to Swing, from Traditional Pop to Brazilian, this bargain release of two albums in one is vintage Peggy Lee. ~ Dave Nathan