ABBE LANE - Where There's a Man (1958)

Where There's a Man reunites Abbe Lane with arranger Sid Ramin, her partner in crime on the previous The Lady in Red -- if anything, the album is even sultrier than its predecessor, reaching new heights (or new lows) in sex-kitten kitsch. As its title suggests, the album's thematic focus falls squarely on the opposite sex, but for the most part Lane and Ramin eschew familiar romantic ballads in favor of more tongue-in-cheek fare like "No Man Gets Me Right Away" and "The Gentleman Is a Dope" -- Lane isn't a strong enough vocalist to tackle the standards anyway, but the material on Where There's a Man is particularly well suited to her bombshell phrasing and ribald wit. Ramin's cartoonish arrangements are also a delight, perfectly underscoring the singer's larger-than-life persona.

Tracks

1. A Little Girl from Little Rock 3:37

2. No Man Gets Me Right Away 2:57 

3. The Man I Love 3:55

4. Any Man Can Be Had 2:35 

5. I'm in Love with the Honourable Mr. So and So 2:31

6. A Good Man Is Hard to Find 2:25 

7. What Is a Man 2:35 

8. Where There's a Man 3:16 

9. The Gentleman Is a Dope 3:59 

10. A Man and His Dream 2:40

11. I Must Have That Man 2:57 

12. Go to Sleep, Go to Sleep, Go to Sleep 3:38

Recorded in Webster Hall, New York City, 

December 10, 12 and 15, 1958.

ABBE LANE - Where There's a Man [1958] FLAC / 2004

'round to midnight ...