Carmen McRae - Portrait of Carmen

2013 CD reissue.

Portrait of Carmen doesn't so much update the great Carmen McRae's sound and sensibility as it reflects a world that's finally caught up to her way of thinking, capitalizing on the irony and sophistication so long essential to her music to create a record that is both fiercely individual and universally accessible. McRae inhabits songs like "I'm Always Drunk in San Francisco," "My Very Own Person," and "Boy, Do I Have a Surprise for You" with absolute authority -- hers is the voice of an African-American woman poised on the cusp of a new era , and she seizes the moment with some of the most soulful performances of her career. Arrangers Benny Carter, Shorty Rogers, and Oliver Nelson are vital to the album's success, masterminding a series of vibrant settings firmly rooted in the sonics of post-Sgt. Pepper's pop but retaining all the formal elegance and ingenuity of jazz. The title's no afterthought -- Portrait of Carmen captures her brilliance for posterity.

Jason Ankeny ~ AllMusicGuide

    1 I'm Always Drunk in San Francisco
    2 Elusive Butterfly
    3 Day By Day
    4 When You Get Around to Me
    5 Walking Happy
    6 My Very Own Person
    7 Ask Any Woman
    8 Boy, Do I Have a Surprise for You
    9 Loads of Love
    10 I Haven't Got Anything Better to Do
    11 Wonder Why