Prior to her 1959 hit "What a Difference a Day Makes," nearly every Dinah Washington recording (no matter what the style) was of interest to jazz listeners.
However, after her unexpected success on the pop charts, most of Washington's sessions for Mercury and Roulette during the last four years of her life were quite commercial, with string arrangements better suited to country singers and Washington nearly parodying herself with exaggerated gestures.
Fortunately, this 1963 LP is an exception, a blues-oriented collection that features Washington returning to her roots, backed by a jazz-oriented big band (with occasional strings and background voices).
Eddie Chamblee and Illinois Jacquet have some tenor solos, guitarist Billy Butler is heard from, and the trumpet soloist is probably Joe Newman.
In general, this is a more successful date than Washington's earlier investigation of Bessie Smith material, since the backup band is more sympathetic and the talented singer is heard in prime form.
Dinah Washington clearly had a real feeling for this bluesy material.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Blues Ain't Nothin' But a Woman Cryin' for Her ManJ. Mayo Williams | Dinah Washington | Play | 03:48 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 2 | Romance in the DarkLillian "Lil" Green | Dinah Washington | Play | 02:15 | 5 MB | 0 MB |
| 3 | Let Me Be the First to KnowLeroy Kirkland, Dinah Washington, Pearl Woods | Dinah Washington | Play | 02:41 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 4 | Don't Come Running Back to MeDinah Washington | Dinah Washington | Play | 02:26 | 5 MB | 0 MB |
| 5 | It's a Mean Old Man's WorldLeroy Kirkland, Dinah Washington | Dinah Washington | Play | 03:12 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 6 | Key to the HighwayBig Bill Broonzy, Charles Segar | Dinah Washington | Play | 02:42 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 7 | If I Never Get to HeavenDinah Washington | Dinah Washington | Play | 03:46 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 8 | Duck Before You DrownDinah Washington | Dinah Washington | Play | 02:13 | 5 MB | 0 MB |
| 9 | No Hard FeelingsAl Jacobs | Dinah Washington | Play | 02:36 | 5 MB | 0 MB |
| 10 | Nobody Knows the Way I Feel This MorningPearl Delaney, Tom Delaney | Dinah Washington | Play | 08:42 | 19 MB | 0 MB |
| 11 | Me and My Gin | Dinah Washington | Play | 04:14 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 12 | How Long | Dinah Washington | Play | 05:01 | 11 MB | 0 MB |
| 13 | Don't Say Nothing at All | Dinah Washington | Play | 02:36 | 5 MB | 0 MB |
| 14 | You've Been a Good Ole Wagon | Dinah Washington | Play | 03:52 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 15 | No One Man | Dinah Washington | Play | 02:07 | 4 MB | 0 MB |
| 52 mins | 119 MB | |||||
| 0 mins | 0 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Perry Bradford | Composer |
| 2 | Big Bill Broonzy | Composer |
| 3 | Leroy Carr | Composer |
| 4 | Pearl Delaney | Composer |
| 5 | Tom Delaney | Composer |
| 6 | Lillian "Lil" Green | Composer |
| 7 | Al Jacobs | Composer |
| 8 | Illinois Jacquet | Guest Artist |
| 9 | Leroy Kirkland | Composer |
| 10 | Charles Segar | Composer |
| 11 | Dinah Washington | Composer, Primary Artist, Vocals |
| 12 | J. Mayo Williams | Composer |
| 13 | Pearl Woods | Composer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |