Mary Ann McCall - Melancholy Baby

All Music Guide

Mary Ann McCall is best known for having sung with a few different versions of Woody Herman His Orchestra. One of the best singers to emerge during the 1940s, McCall recorded several solo albums in the 1950s. On this unusual album, she performs a dozen songs with downbeat topics, five of which have "melancholy" in their song titles, including "My Melancholy Baby," "Sentimental and Melancholy," and "Melancholy Mood." McCall is heard throughout in prime voice, uplifting the lyrics so they don't sound so sad. She is accompanied by Johnny Richards' arrangements for three groups: a rhythm section; a group with eight cellos, flute, and trombone; and a big band that includes French horn, tuba, bass sax, and tympani. Virtually everything works, including fine versions of "Blue and Broken Hearted," "The Thrill Is Gone," and "Am I Blue." Well worth searching for.

- Scott Yanow, All Music Guide