Simple is often better, and my Exhibit No. 1 of the moment is the simply gorgeous recording DINAH SINGS, PREVIN PLAYS (1960). Dinah is, of course, Dinah Shore of the "see the U.S.A. in your Chevrolet" jingles and her long-running talk shows of the 60s and 70s. The Previn accompanying her is Andre Previn of the long conducting career (gossip-hounds know that he was Mia Farrow's second husband.) The album material is strictly standards, many of them quite familiar from far more famous recordings, but there are a couple of lesser-known gems here, too, in particular "Like Someone In Love" and "Stars Fell On Alabama". There is an irresistible charm to Dinah's laid-back presentation and very slight Southern drawl (she was born and raised in Tennessee.) The album is intensely intimate, as though it were just you sitting in a darkened club, listening to a late-night set with Shore and Previn (with an occasional small combo backing them quietly.) Previn is a master accompanist and it's through his gorgeous playing and arrangements that the ear is directed to Shore's honeyed vocals (he worked with Doris Day to similar success on their DUET album in 1962). There's no fireworks here, no gimmicks, but that doesn't mean it's staid or boring--it's all really gorgeous. Highly Recommended.
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