Lena Horne - Sings - The MGM Singles
Hip-oSelect.com, under its Verve Select imprint, proudly announces the release of Lena Horne Sings: The M-G-M Singles Collection,
a 16-track set that is just what the title claims: the first-ever
retrospective of Ms. Horne’s classic, classy singles on M-G-M Records,
including her chart single “’Deed I Do,” with most tracks on CD for the first time. James Gavin, author of the acclaimed biography Stormy Weather: The Life Of Lena Horne, co-produced the set and wrote its liner notes. (Stormy Weather is out in paperback April 2010.)
Lena Horne may best be known for stunning star turns and cameos in several films of the 1940s, including Stormy Weather, Cabin In The Sky, Ziegfeld Follies
and more, as well as her triumphant one-woman show on Broadway in the
1980s. She was a beauty, a captivating singer, a unique figure in
popular culture who paved the way for a new black image in Hollywood.
In the late 1940s, when M-G-M Records established its record label, Ms.
Horne was one of its first artists to record. “Earlier on, people had
expected her to sing the blues; instead she leaned toward Porter,
Gershwin, and Rodgers and Hart,” writes Gavin. “She handled their
complexities with grace and phrased intelligently; her diction was like
crystal. A tart edge gave her voice some of its character.”
Lena Horne Sings
includes every Horne single issued on M-G-M, as well as even rarer
recordings for the label issued only on international singles and EPs,
such as “Something To Live For,” “Pass Me By” and “A Foggy Day.” Each
track is conducted either by Lennie Hayton, the M-G-M Studios’ musical
director, or Luther Henderson, a protégé of Duke Ellington. In addition
to Mr. Gavin’s terrific liner notes, the collection includes detailed
track annotations.
The nostalgic cover for Lena Horne Sings is
based on the original design of a 45 RPM singles box set, while the
booklet re-creates images from other rare releases, including a 12-inch
LP issued on M-G-M’s Lion subsidiary. Rare photos from the era add to
the exceptional quality of this collection. The masters have also been
significantly restored and remastered for the first time, making a
young Lena Horne sound as beautiful as she looked.
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