Gwen Verdon

GWEN VERDON - THE GIRL I LEFT HOME FOR (1956)

By JamCam. Thanks, very good.

1. Ain't Misbehavin'  
2. Sand in My Shoes  
3. Hot Night in Alaska  
4. Mr. and Mrs. Fitch  
5. Bettin' on a Man  
6. Why Can't I?  
7. I've Got the World on a String  
8. Jenny  
9. Find Me a Primitive Man  
10. No-Talent Joe  
11. The Lady Is a Tramp  
12. Daddy  

Broadway star Gwen Verdon didn't make too much of a dent in the jazz-pop market, but this fine album from the late '50s makes one wish she had. Cut after she had established herself in productions of +Can-Can and +Damn Yankees, The Girl I Left Home For finds Verdon reveling in fine selection of rarely heard Tin Pan Alley songs -- in a jazz context at least. Helped out by Joe Reisman's fluid blend of pop gloss and lounge swing, Verdon mixes in well-known numbers like &"The Lady Is a Tramp" and &"Ain't Misbehavin'" with obscure novelties like &"Hot Night in Alaska" and Cole Porter's &"Mr. and Mrs. Fitch" (from +The Gay Divorce). Taking off some of the glib edge plied by many a Broadway siren, Verdon judiciously balances vocal theatrics with some loose and spontaneous phrasing. At times, she even sounds a bit like Blossom Dearie, who, like Verdon, had a knack for nicely dusting off less well-traveled gems from the stage. Topped off with the benignly exotic, Latin-tinged &"Sand in My Shoes" and &"No-Talent Joe," The Girl I Left Home For will definitely please fans of vintage vocals, especially those who like their pop with a heavy dose of show tune humor and allure. Stephen Cook, Rovi