Nancy Wilson Albums (35)
What The Critics Say
Contemporary, relaxed R&B. ~ Bil Carpenter, All Music Guide
'The Nancy Wilson Show!'
Release Date 1/1/2007
Tracks 9
Label Capitol
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What The Critics Say
Nancy Wilson's talents shone in many different performing circumstances, but in front of a live audience she really came alive -- singing to the people, to say it simply (think of Sammy Davis, Jr.). Unsurprisingly, The Nancy Wilson Show!, recorded at the Cocoanut Grove, is one of her better original LPs. Wilson's approach to performance was quite different from her many excellent contemporaries; instead of emphasizing standards delivered in continual series of vocal jazz interpretations, she sang songs that could be presented as stories, whether they were purely humorous (the self-deprecating "Don't Talk, Just Sing," written specifically for her) or sarcastic ("Guess Who I Saw Today") or more dramatic ("You Can Have Him"). The close accompaniment by her rhythm section and Freddy Martin's orchestra accentuates the emotions in each song, and it's easy to laugh along with the crowd at such an entertaining performance. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
On Nancy Wilson's previous album, 2004's R.S.V.P., the legendary vocalist teamed up with a given instrumentalist on each track. She must have liked the formula, because she's done it again on Turned to Blue. Here the oft-honored jazz singer leaves room in each number -- save for the title track, a Maya Angelou poem set to music and arranged by Jay Ashby -- for a different soloist, bringing in such heavyweights as Hubert Laws on flute, saxists Jimmy Heath, Andy Snitzer, Bob Mintzer (who appears to be summoning Stan Getz on the opening number, Gordon Jenkins' "This Is All I Ask"), James Moody and Tom Scott, pianist Dr. Billy Taylor, and steel pans player Andy Narrell, among others. Working with configurations ranging from classic big band (Duke Ellington's "Take Love Easy") to trio-plus-guest-soloist ("Knitting Class"), Wilson applies her seasoned but still flexible pipes to material both old and new, straddling the fence between adult contemporary/pop and the more demanding jazz of her earlier career. Heavy on the ballads, and confined nearly exclusively to love songs, Turned to Blue finds Nancy Wilson right where she ought to be nearly half a century into her recording career. ~ Jeff Tamarkin, All Music Guide
'I'll Be a Song'
Release Date 12/26/2005
Tracks 8
Label Sony/Columbia
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'R.S.V.P. (Rare Songs, Very Personal)'
Release Date 8/24/2004
Tracks 12
Label Telarc
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What The Critics Say
Nancy Wilson's R.S.V.P. (Rare Songs, Very Personal) is her duets album, but unlike other recent releases by singers in this format, which feature two vocalists (and often oddly matched ones, at that), most of the pairings here are with instrumentalists like George Shearing, Toots Thielemans, Phil Woods, and Gary Burton, which means this remains very much Wilson's baby, dominated by her hushed and elegant vocals. Only two tracks feature other vocalists, one of which, a saccharine cover of Marvin Gaye's "Why Did I Choose You" sung with Kenny Lattimore, is worth a plea to the gods to let Gaye return to this veil of tears and give Wilson a worthy singing partner. Less pop than her recent outings, R.S.V.P. is mostly made up of ballads, highlighted by a wonderful version of Gordon Jenkins' "Goodbye" and the elegant, late-night regret of "Blame It on My Youth" which closes out the set, although Wilson steps up and swings on at least one track, the vibrant "Day In, Day Out." This might not be the greatest album of her half-century-long career, but it isn't an embarrassment, either (which can't always be said about some of the other duet projects major vocalists have released in recent years), and it shows that Wilson can still wring every last emotion on earth out of a ballad -- then return to sing the second verse. ~ Steve Leggett, All Music Guide
'A Nancy Wilson Christmas'
Release Date 9/25/2001
Tracks 13
Label Telarc
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What The Critics Say
It seems a little bit strange that an artist of Nancy Wilson's popularity and experience -- she's recorded more than 60 albums in various genres over the course of a 40-year career -- would never have made a Christmas album. But this is indeed her first, and it's as sweet-spirited and gently eclectic as you'd expect. Joined on several tracks by the Dizzy Gillespie Alumni Allstar Big Band and on others by the vocal quartet New York Voices, flutist Herbie Mann, and various other guest artists, Wilson takes highly predictable elements and creates an original and multifaceted pastiche out of them. From the bossa nova rendition of "White Christmas" to the dense vocal arrangements on "Silver Bells," Wilson manages to keep things both interesting and fun. The fact that her voice remains as powerful and nuanced as ever doesn't hurt, either. ~ Rick Anderson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The 1990s found Nancy Wilson appealing to what was called the "new adult contemporary" market, as well as the black adult contemporary audience. The veteran singer wasn't embracing straight-ahead jazz (something she hadn't done a lot of anyway), although a few songs on If I Had My Way contain slightly jazzy touches. At 59, Wilson brings a relaxed confidence to "Loving You, Loving Me," "Hello Like Before" (a Bill Withers tune), "Anything for Your Love," and other pleasant pop and pop/R&B ballads that would work equally well on an Anita Baker album. In fact, one of the CD's producers, Michael Powell, has often worked with Baker. Wilson's appealing voice had held up well, and she demonstrated that she could still be charming on this collection of enjoyable mood music. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Nancy Wilson was one of the few jazz-based pop singers of the 1960s who was able to navigate that decade's rock & roll-crazed waters and stay on top of the single and album charts. While her natural physical beauty certainly didn't hurt her career, it was probably her honest feel for soul and the blues, as well as jazz, that had her riding high during a time when so many of her peers were being dropped by the major labels or moving to Europe. Lush Life follows Wilson's winning formula of combining jazz and adult pop, but while individual tracks stand out, a heavy Barbra Streisand influence hurts the disc overall. Like Babs, Wilson possesses pipes powerful enough to blow the roof off of a barn (as she does on "Free Again" and "Over the Weekend"), but her real gifts come out on the lightly swinging "River Shallow" and a slowly building ballad reading of Bobby Hebb's "Sunny" that puts a fresh spin on the over-exposed 1960s staple. Expert West Coast jazz musicians such as Shelly Manne and Ted Nash contribute to the session, but Billy May and Oliver Nelson's charts are often too string-heavy. While the album is cohesive, it's a shame that you can't tell the difference between the work of two normally singular and unique arrangers. Still, both men did build solid foundations for Nancy Wilson, and Billy May uses the title track as a means to tip his hat to Billy Strayhorn, the song's composer, with a smart mix of big band swagger, intimate small-group jazz, and moody orchestral flourishes straight out of an old film noir. While Lush Life is a pleasing effort that will be enjoyed by Nancy Wilson fans, Welcome to My Love, her 1968 collaboration with Oliver Nelson alone, keeps the strings while wisely ditching the Streisand feel. ~ Nick Dedina, All Music Guide
'Welcome to My Love'
Release Date 6/14/1994
Tracks 12
Label Blue Note
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What The Critics Say
Most of Nancy Wilson's late '60s releases contained four or five good tunes and the rest would be filler from the day's batch of B-grade pop material. Her 1967 date Welcome to My Love, though, is an exception. It offers a consistent selection of high-quality standards and strong contemporary material impressively set off by Oliver Nelson's soulfully urbane arrangements. On the subdued end there are straightahead ballads like "May I Come In" and "It Never Entered My Mind" as well as more soul-tinged numbers such as "Welcome to My Love" and "Let's Make the Most of a Beautiful Thing." Wilson's smoky, whispered voice imparts just the right amount of tender drama here while Nelson's dark and restrained string charts keep things from getting syrupy. Balancing out the set are a series of bluesy big band numbers including "In the Heat of the Night," "I'm Always Drunk in SF" and an amazing version of "Ode to Billy Joe." This classic Bobbie Gentry tune gets a funked up, backwoods treatment à la Etta James with Wilson in full swagger. Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis effectively echoes the intensity with his back in the mix, burning tenor solo while drummer Shelly Manne and bassist Buster Williams anchor the proceedings with driving intensity. The set is rounded out by fine renditions of "For Once in Life" and the classic Ray Charles hit "You Don't Know Me." On Welcome to My Love, Wilson successfully straddled the jazz/soul divide and in the process produced one of her best albums of the 60's. ~ Stephen Cook, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Wilson has been able to adjust and retain her appeal while expanding her musical repertoire to include contemporary numbers and experiments with various collaborators and situations. On this album, she's accompanied by an orchestra and does such classic tunes as "Day Dream," plus current numbers. Andre Fischer's production lets Wilson's still enchanting, powerful voice dominate the orchestrations. There are occasional tasty instrumental contributions from selected guest stars, but for the most part it's Wilson's warm, inviting leads that make this CD so delightful. ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide
