Peggy Lee Albums (36)
'Christmas with Peggy Lee'
Release Date 1/1/2006
Tracks 16
Label Capitol
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Christmas with Peggy Lee is a fine collection of laid-back jazzy holiday favorites performed by the sultry vocalist. The majority of this material was taken from her 1960 Capitol release Christmas Carousel, excluding three tracks: "The Christmas List," "Christmas Riddle," and "Deck the Halls." Traditional tunes like "Winter Wonderland," "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town," "The Christmas Song," and "I Like a Sleighride (Jingle Bells)" get the relaxing and warm treatment provided by the vocalist in her prime. Also of interest are the four tracks penned by Lee, "Christmas Carousel," "Don't Forget to Feed the Reindeer," "The Tree," and "My Dear Acquaintance (A Happy New Year)." This is perfect background music for any Christmas get-together. ~ Al Campbell, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Peggy Lee's third album with her band adds little to her writing style, but it perfects it to a new level. Picking up where Sounds from the Big House had left, the album showcases even more assured writing and a group of musicians completely attuned to each other. Except for bassist Andre Lechance replacing Chris Tarry, the lineup remains the same. Brad Turner's trumpet is still the lyrical asset of the ensemble; Tony Wilson's discreet guitar work provides the mellow, slightly sad moods; Jeremy Berkman's trombone and Lee's cello join in beautiful melodic dialogues (especially in "Soft Scrape"); Dylan van der Schyff lays down flexible rhythms and flourishes of percussive ornaments. Talking Pictures' guitarist, Ron Samworth, joins in on four of the album's nine cuts. The first two pieces, "Worlds Apart" and "Soft Scrape," stand out as two of the group's best recordings. Seguing, these pieces encompass its range, from a tightly written vamp to tender melodies and freely improvised passages. "Spells" features a folky acoustic guitar intro, while "Old One Knows" (penned by Wilson) provides a quiet guitar interlude. "A Door" once again surfs the waters of this particular brand of seductive Vancouver avant-garde jazz (think Talking Pictures and Ben Monder, but also Montreal's NOMA), while "Lookout" ends the proceedings with a nicely chiseled trumpet-led ballad. Even at its most vehement, Lee's music is never muscular or virtuosic. She focuses on moods, pretty yet challenging melodies, and cross-stylistic arrangements that evolve from within jazz but ooze out of its avant end. And on this album she does it better than before, albeit not differently. Recommended. ~ François Couture, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
An unusual band, for several reasons. First, it is led by a cellist, and a female one at that (both, incredibly, still unusual at the turn of the 21st century). Second, the three stringed instruments plus two brass and percussion give the "band" an unusual, chamber-like sound, even with the electric bass and electric guitar. While this is indefinable stylistically, it does combine elements of free jazz, chamber music, and even rock. Often, there is a mournful quality, and the tempos tend to be snail-ish. The end results are compellingly attractive, though, all the more so considering the fine musicianship. Brad Turner, in particular, is a pleasure on trumpet, with jabs and slurps that always seem to concentrate on a tonal or structured center. Lee composed all the tunes, and she always maintains interest with fascinating harmonic changes. Tony Wilson is a blast on electric guitar, where he shoots forth rapidly virtuosic lines. The arrangements are surprisingly accessible, and if there is a criticism it is that the pieces sometimes lack focus. Considering the overall effect, this is a minor inconvenience, and whether it is Dylan van der Schyff's brilliant drums or Lee's melodic strings, the refreshingly unique sounds impress and entertain. ~ Steven Loewy, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
By 1988, 68-year-old Peggy Lee did not have much of a voice left. Although she was still determined, physical problems had weakened her, and despite Gene Lees' absurd raving in the liner notes ("Her work has never flagged, the quality of it has never faltered"), this set finds her way past her prime. Actually, the material (only half of which is actually blues) is pretty strong -- mostly standards from the 1920s and '30s -- and the backup group (a quintet with pianist Mike Renzi and guitarist John Chiodini) does a good job of supporting Lee's quiet and often weak voice. This is one of the better releases from Peggy Lee's later years, but it still pales next to her 1950s recordings. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Peggy Lee's 1979 album Close Enough for Love is a disco-themed take on her classic themes of love and romance. "You" is a light, mellow funk ballad, while the standard "Just One of Those Things" becomes a propulsive dance anthem. Those looking for songs similar to Lee's trademark "Fever" will want to add the smoldering, sexy "Easy Does It" to their collection. Peggy Lee's voice sounds a bit depressed on this album, indicating, perhaps, an unfamiliarity with the new musical trappings. But that quality also gives the album's more straightforward numbers, like "Rain Sometimes" and "Come in From the Rain" (sounding like Wings), a moving, somber tone. An example of a dated album, but one that is a ripe for a rediscovery. ~ JT Griffith, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Intelligent, evocative, understated, and mature are words that come to mind when describing this 1975 recording. The album is the reflection of a middle-aged woman pondering her present life while romanticizing the past, knowing full well that, in the words of the last song, "We're longing for a simpler time that never was." Written and produced by Leiber & Stoller, and sung in the soft, breathy style of Peggy Lee, the listener is taken through a journey of songs that often evoke a sense of melancholy, even when the lyrical content seems upbeat, such as on "I've Got Them Feelin' Too Good Today Blues." Thoughtful and understated arrangements by Johnny Mandel do a superb job of supporting but never overpowering the lyrics or the vocal style of Lee. Several songs musically evoke what is implied in the title. "Professor Hauptmann's Performing Dogs," for instance, brings to mind sounds reminiscent of the circus. In less skilled hands, musically representing what is lyrically conveyed might not work, but in the talented hands of Leiber, Stoller, and Mandel, it works wonderfully. This is an album where it is apparent the singer, songwriters, and arranger all worked together to make an album worthy of the talents of everyone involved -- they certainly succeeded in that goal. ~ Michael Ofjord, All Music Guide
'Norma Deloris Egstrom from Jamestown, North Dakota'
Release Date 1/1/1972
Tracks 10
Label Capitol
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Peggy Lee returns to her roots, at least by name and location, with Norma Deloris Egstrom from Jamestown, North Dakota, reminding fans of the name and place on her birth certificate. The album is credited as "produced & conceived by Tom Catalano." Maybe Catalano's conception was the LP title. If he also chose the songs and the arranger/conductor, he didn't really do much different from recent Peggy Lee albums, however. Once again, the collection is a mixture of contemporary material with songs Lee might have sung back at the start of her career in the 1940s. Arranger/conductor Artie Butler employs a studio of jazz-pop session aces like guitarist Larry Carlton, pianist Michael Omartian, percussionist Victor Feldman, and drummer Earl Palmer, then adds horn and string charts at various points. Early-‘70s pop stars like the Carpenters, Elton John, and Leon Russell are evoked in selections like the leadoff track, Lesley Duncan's "Love Song" (most prominently heard on John's 1971 album Tumbleweed Connection), Russell's "A Song for You," and his and Bonnie Bramlett's groupie lament "Superstar," a hit for the Carpenters. While Butler tries for unusual arrangements in spots, there isn't much that Lee can do with such songs that hasn't been done already, and she settles for rendering them in her calm, precise voice. Not surprisingly, she sounds much more at home in the album's second half, when she gets a chance to handle more vintage songs such as Lil Hardin Armstrong's 1939 copyright "Just for a Thrill," and the album comes to a close with a double shot of such nostalgia, combining two 1940s hits, "The More I See You" and "I'll Be Seeing You." Thus, does Lee, in the hands of Catalano and Butler, continue to try to bridge the old with the new, and she continues to succeed modestly. [Norma Deloris Egstrom from Jamestown, North Dakota turned out to be Peggy Lee's final recording for Capitol Records, a label she joined in 1945 and stayed with, except for a five-year stint at Decca, 1952-1957, through 1972.] ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
A dry run for her commercial success later in 1969 with Is That All There Is?, A Natural Woman also concentrates on contemporary hits by composers from the burgeoning worlds of soul music and singer/songwriters. Beginning in the mid-'60s, Lee had begun flirting with pop/rock material and arrangements, though her solid performances were usually marred by ill-fitting charts written by unfeeling arrangers. A Natural Woman was her most successful fusion yet, thanks to the work of arrangers/conductors/upstarts Mike Melvoin and Bobby Bryant (neither of whom were true youngsters, though Melvoin had apparently gleaned much from session work with the Beach Boys, Curt Boettcher, and Judy Collins). Here, though, Lee's voice unfortunately became the element lacking consistency. She unwisely attempts to duplicate the crooning slide of Tyrone Davis and Otis Redding for her versions of their hits "Can I Change My Mind?" and "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay," then sounds a little embarrassed repeating the shoobie-doobies of Sly & the Family Stone's "Everyday People." Lee does perform a superb version of Randy Newman's "I Think It's Going to Rain Today" (Newman actually arranged "Is That All There Is?"), and utterly transforms the one standard from an earlier era, Billie Holiday's classic "Don't Explain." As is true for every trad pop artist that crossed over during the late '60s, A Natural Woman includes three or four songs that qualify for the Golden Throats treatment, but most are solid. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
'Is That All There Is?'
Release Date 1/1/1969
Tracks 10
Label Capitol
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
When Peggy Lee became well-known in the 1940s, swing and jazz-influenced pop dominated the musical landscape. In the 1960s, however, it was a whole new world in popular music. The British Invasion and Motown -- not big bands -- were mainstream, and to the Baby Boomer youths of the 1960s, Lee was part of "our parents' music." But the singer had a major hit with 1969's Is That All There Is?, one of the best-selling albums of her career. While this isn't a rock album per se -- Lee's foundation was still jazz-influenced pop -- it acknowledges pop-rock tastes of the 1960s without being unfaithful to her history. Everything on this LP is a gem, and that includes a moody remake of Lee's 1940s hit "Don't Smoke in Bed" as well as classic arrangements of George Harrison's "Something," Neil Diamond's "Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show," Leiber & Stoller's "I'm a Woman," and Randy Newman's "Love Story." The LP's centerpiece, however, is Newman's hit arrangement of Leiber & Stoller's title song, which was covered by P.J. Harvey in the 1990s. Influenced by German cabaret, this half-spoken, half-sung treasure is as hauntingly soulful as it is maudlin. The song's outlook is far from optimistic; essentially, it's saying that we might as well grab our moments of pleasure and enjoyment where we can find them because ultimately, life is nothing more than a meaningless series of disappointments. But there's nothing disappointing about Is That All There Is?, an LP that is most certainly among Lee's finest accomplishments. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
