PEGGY LEE (VOCALS) — Let's Love (review)

PEGGY LEE (VOCALS) — Let's Love album cover Album · 1974 · Pop/Art Song/Folk Buy this album from MMA partners
2.5/5 ·
js
“Let’s Love” was supposed to be a sort of comeback album for Peggy Lee with an attempt to hook up with a more contemporary sound. To record this one, she switched to the Atlantic label which was well-known for its success with female singers and soul-pop crossover albums. Pop jazz arranger supreme Dave Gruisin was brought on board and even the great Paul McCartney wrote and produced the title song. This album has a diverse mix of pop, soul, gospel and ballads that sounds like a cross between Carly Simon, Aretha Franklin and The Pointer Sisters, but unfortunately, a lot of this material doesn’t really suit Lee’s usually remarkable voice. Peggy Lee was one of the finest cool jazz singers ever, her relaxed delivery and perfect timing and pitch made her a perfect fit for jazz’s ‘cool’ phase, but this sort of 70s pop is just too heavy and bland for her to do what she does best. There is nothing wrong with her singing on here, she’s on pitch and on time and she has a nice strong voice when she needs it, but just listen to a classic like “Black Coffee", where Lee effortlessly glides through songs with a relaxed cool like no one else and you will understand why this album just isn’t Peggy Lee at her best.

A couple songs on here work OK. As you would expect, the laid back ones and the ballads work best. Her rendition of the soft soul classic “Don’t Let Me be Lonely Tonight” is very nice, but even better, the beautifully orchestrated Mancini number, “Sometimes”, almost sounds like the Peggy Lee we miss when we hear the other songs. The worst songs are the attempts at gospel and corny funk mishaps that sound like outtakes from Sanford and Sons. Peggy just doesn’t have the right voice for all that and the funk doesn’t sound very convincing. Add to this, the McCartney song is Sir Paul at his most dreadful and corny.

I would not recommend this album for someone wanting to check out what Peggy Lee is all about, get “Black Coffee” instead, no one else in the world can sing like that.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Jazz Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

JMA TOP 5 Jazz ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
A Love Supreme Post Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
Kind of Blue Cool Jazz
MILES DAVIS
Buy this album from our partners
The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady Progressive Big Band
CHARLES MINGUS
Buy this album from our partners
Blue Train Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners
My Favorite Things Hard Bop
JOHN COLTRANE
Buy this album from our partners

New Jazz Artists

New Jazz Releases

New Start Fusion
TOM KENNEDY
Buy this album from MMA partners
Love Songs Live Avant-Garde Jazz
JOHN ZORN
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Data Avant-Garde Jazz
MATTHEW SHIPP
Buy this album from MMA partners
Peace Post Bop
SADAO WATANABE
Buy this album from MMA partners
Remy Le Boeuf’s Assembly Of Shadows : Heartland Radio Pop/Art Song/Folk
REMY LE BOEUF
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Jazz Online Videos

??·??·?·???·?·????
SADAO WATANABE
snobb· 10 hours ago
"Miles Between" // by Shawn Schlogel & Nancy Erickson Lamont
NANCY ERICKSON LAMONT
js· 1 day ago
Mature Hybird Talking
FRANK GRATKOWSKI
js· 2 days ago
Perspective (Peace & Love)
ISAIAH COLLIER
js· 3 days ago
T-SQUARE 45th Anniversary Celebration Concert & Tour 2023 @Zepp Nagoya ?CLIMAX?
T-SQUARE
js· 3 days ago
More videos

New JMA Jazz Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Jazz News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed