Dinah Washington's Finest Hour

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
From the late 1940s until her death in 1963, Dinah Washington was a dominant presence among the women who sang R&B, with an unequalled emotional power and a voice that mingled highs and lows, rough and smooth, like raw silk. While she often sang R&B, though, her mastery of the idiom drew on her ability to sing all its constituent parts and musical relations--blues, jazz, and pop. This hourlong survey of her Mercury recordings covers all the bases that she touched in her career. Beginning with a 1947 session with backing from Lionel Hampton, Washington's Finest Hour extends to the pop sessions that brought her greater successes more than a decade later, both alone and with fellow singer Brook Benton. Washington the blues singer is equally effective on the bawdy "Long John Blues" and the traditional lament "Trouble in Mind," while her jazz-rooted mastery of standards is apparent on such songs as "I'll Remember April" and the profound "Blue Gardenia." She could even cover a country song like Hank Williams's "Cold, Cold Heart" or the light pop of "Teach Me Tonight" and make it convincingly her own, while her version of "Unforgettable" can stand comparison with Nat "King" Cole's. This is a terrific introduction to one of the essential singers, whatever genre claims her. --Stuart Broomer

Dinah Washington's Finest Hour, Music, Dinah Washington, Jazz, Jazz Music, Jazz Vocals, Pop, Traditional Pop, Vocal Jazz
Dinah Washington's Finest Hour
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • SOME GEM'S YOU DON'T SEE ON A LOT OF HER C.D.'S
  • New to Dinah
  • New to Dinah
  • A Must Have!
  • Versatility + Emotion = Dinah Washington
 Dinah Washington's Finest Hour
Dinah Washington
Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
Traditional Jazz GeneralTraditional Jazz General | Traditional Jazz & Ragtime | Jazz | Styles | Music
Vocal Jazz GeneralVocal Jazz General | Vocal Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
Traditional Vocal PopTraditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music
Traditional PopTraditional Pop | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:
  1. Back to the Blues
  2. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: Best of Dinah Washington
  3. The Best of Dinah Washington
  4. Swingin' Miss 'D'
  5. Unforgettable

ASIN: B00004ST4X
Release Date: 2000-06-27

Tracks:

  1. Evil Gal Blues
  2. Blowtop Blues
  3. West Side Baby
  4. Long John Blues
  5. Baby, Get Lost
  6. Trouble In Mind
  7. Cold, Cold Heart
  8. TV Is The Thing This Year
  9. I'll Remember April
  10. Teach Me Tonight
  11. I Just Couldn't Stand It No More
  12. I Could Write A Book
  13. Blue Gardenia
  14. What A Diff'rence A Day Made
  15. Unforgettable
  16. Baby, You Got What It Takes
  17. This Bitter Earth
  18. Mad About The Boy

Amazon.com

From the late 1940s until her death in 1963, Dinah Washington was a dominant presence among the women who sang R&B, with an unequalled emotional power and a voice that mingled highs and lows, rough and smooth, like raw silk. While she often sang R&B, though, her mastery of the idiom drew on her ability to sing all its constituent parts and musical relations--blues, jazz, and pop. This hourlong survey of her Mercury recordings covers all the bases that she touched in her career. Beginning with a 1947 session with backing from Lionel Hampton, Washington's Finest Hour extends to the pop sessions that brought her greater successes more than a decade later, both alone and with fellow singer Brook Benton. Washington the blues singer is equally effective on the bawdy "Long John Blues" and the traditional lament "Trouble in Mind," while her jazz-rooted mastery of standards is apparent on such songs as "I'll Remember April" and the profound "Blue Gardenia." She could even cover a country song like Hank Williams's "Cold, Cold Heart" or the light pop of "Teach Me Tonight" and make it convincingly her own, while her version of "Unforgettable" can stand comparison with Nat "King" Cole's. This is a terrific introduction to one of the essential singers, whatever genre claims her. --Stuart Broomer

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars SOME GEM'S YOU DON'T SEE ON A LOT OF HER C.D.'S.......2007-02-28

CLASSIC, LOT'S OF BEAUTIFUL LOVE SONG'S (I COULD WRITE A BOOK) PLUS HER SEXY DOWN AND DIRTY SONG'S (LONG JOHN BLUE'S). PERFECT FOR YOUR FIRST DINAH ALBUM, YOU NEED TO SEE ALL SIDE'S OF HER TO APPRECIATE HER.

4 out of 5 stars New to Dinah.......2003-06-23

I had heard of Dinah and have heard a snippet of her stuff before but this is the first time I have really heard a full recording of her sound. I am hooked! She can blast not only the the blues but swing and R&B! I am looking forward to digging into her catalog at the first opportunity!

4 out of 5 stars New to Dinah.......2003-06-23

I had heard of Dinah and have heard a snippet of her stuff before but this is the first time I have really heard a full recording of her sound. I am hooked! She can blast not only the the blues but swing and R&B! I am looking forward to digging into her catalog at the first opportunity!

5 out of 5 stars A Must Have!.......2002-07-24

It's hard to express how great this CD is! Every song is a pleasure! A must have for Washington fans!

5 out of 5 stars Versatility + Emotion = Dinah Washington.......2001-05-26

Dinah Washington was one of the most versatile singers of her era, and this collection proves it. On this disc, she shows us she is in her element dealing with such down home blues tunes as "West Side Baby" and "Long John Blues". However, she virtually does a 180 degree turn when she interprets such 50's standards as "Teach Me Tonight" and "I Could Write a Book" as if they were written just for her. Throughout all of this, she maintains that same power and emotion that characterized Dinah Washington. If not the "queen" of popular song, jazz, and blues, she was certainly a lady in waiting.
Dinah Washington's Finest Hour
Average customer rating: Not rated
    		Dinah Washington's Finest Hour
    Dinah Washington
    Manufacturer: Universal/Verve
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    GeneralGeneral | Jazz | Styles | Music
    Traditional Jazz GeneralTraditional Jazz General | Traditional Jazz & Ragtime | Jazz | Styles | Music
    Vocal Jazz GeneralVocal Jazz General | Vocal Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
    Traditional Vocal PopTraditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music
    Traditional PopTraditional Pop | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music
    VerveVerve | Verve Music Group | Specialty Stores | Music
    ASIN: B00005S75X
    Release Date: 2001-12-21

    Tracks:

    1. Evil Gal Blues
    2. Blow Top Blues
    3. West Side Baby
    4. Long John Blues
    5. Baby Get Lost
    6. Trouble in Mind
    7. Cold, Cold Heart
    8. TV Is the Thing This Year
    9. I'll Remember April
    10. Teach Me Tonight
    11. I Just Couldn't Stand It No More
    12. I Could Write a Book
    13. Blue Gardenia
    14. What a Diff'rence a Day Made
    15. Unforgettable
    16. Baby (You've Got What It Takes)
    17. This Bitter Earth
    18. Mad About the Boy

    Music:

    1. Doris Day's Sentimental Journey/Latin for Lovers
    2. Duets [Import] [Original recording remastered]
    3. Fred Astaire's Finest Hour
    4. Freudiana (1989 Studio Cast) [Import] [Cast Recording]
    5. Gemini
    6. Goes Classic, Vol. 2 [Import] [Live]
    7. Gypsy (1993 TV Soundtrack) [Soundtrack]
    8. How Does That Grab You?
    9. How The Grinch Stole Christmas (1966 TV Film) [Soundtrack]
    10. I'll Be Your Baby Tonight

    Music

    Music