SHE EMBRACED VAUDEVILLE AND THE BLUES

    

 Growing up in Philadelphia, Ethel Waters was exposed as much to the white female stars of vaudeville as to the black blues singers, and was able to embrace both traditions. That much is apparent from the very opening tracks of this reissue; the Sam Coslow, Leo Robin & Richard Whiting song "True Blue Lou", accompanied by a white studio group, is juxtaposed with Andy Razaf's suggestive "Do What You Did Last Night" with co-composer James P. Johnson's piano accompaniment.

She began recording in 1921, and this compilation spans just over a decade, from mid-1928 to mid-1939, but for the closing number, a rare 1953 recording of her favourite hymn. Her voice was not a pure instrument, having a hoarse quality about it, but any shortcoming was compensated for by her ability to project the lyrics, and to echo their sentiments in her delivery.

Interest in her recordings is repaid by the quality of their accompaniments, which on this compilation include the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra, and Duke Ellington. The Duke and his orchestra back her rendition of "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" in which she she goes out of her way to echo Louis Armstrong's famous rendition of that song, recorded some three years earlier.

Some of the numbers suffer from audible surface noise, but overall this is a delightful reissue with an excellent liner note penned by Peter Dempsey.