BEVERLY KENNEY - Sings for Playboys (1958-1999) RM / MONO / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Beverly Kenney had a tragically brief life, committing suicide in 1960 when she was just 28, probably over a broken love affair. A subtle improviser with a haunting voice and a real skill for interpreting lyrics, she had six albums released during her lifetime. Sings for Playboys, despite its lightweight title, is one of her finest efforts. Accompanied by just pianist Ellis Larkins (who doubles on celeste) and bassist Joe Benjamin, Kenney digs into a dozen songs, only five of which could qualify as standards. While she brings new life to such tunes as "A Woman's Intuition" and "Try a Little Tenderness," she performs definitive versions of such forgotten numbers as "You're My Boy," "Life Can Be Beautiful," and "It's a Most Unusual Day." The music alternates between ballads and lightly swinging pieces with Larkins being a perfect accompanist for Kenney, who is heard throughout at her most expressive. The Japanese have rediscovered Beverly Kenney during the past decade; she's long overdue for American recognition. by Scott Yanow
Tracklist:
1 Do It Again 2:36
Buddy DeSylva / George Gershwin
2 A Woman's Intuition 3:31
Ned Washington / Victor Young
3 You're My Boy 2:58
Sammy Cahn / Jule Styne
4 Mama, Do I Gotta? 2:05
Manny Kurtz / Victor Mizzy
5 What is There To Say? 3:54
Vernon Duke / E.Y. "Yip" Harburg
6 A Lover Like You 3:28
Otis Clements / Lester Judson
7 A Summer Romance 3:06
Lester Judson / Raymond Taylor
8 Life Can Be Beautiful 2:57
Harold Adamson / Jimmy McHugh
9 It's Magic 2:28
Sammy Cahn / Jule Styne
10 A-You're Adorable 2:30
Buddy Kaye / Sidney Lippman / Fred Wise
11 Try a Little Tenderness 3:12
Jimmy Campbell / Reginald Connelly / Harry Woods
12 It's a Most Unusual Day 1:47
Jimmy McHugh
Credits:
Bass – Joe Newman
Piano – Ellis Larkins
Vocals – Beverly Kenney