Rating:
Genre:
Vocal Music
Release Date: 08/06/2002
Primarily a collection of early demos,
The Beginning 1975 takes listeners back to a time when
Susannah McCorkle had yet to become well-known or record for
Inner City,
Pausa, or
Concord Jazz. In fact, these recordings came a year before the
jazz/
cabaret singer's debut album,
The Music of Harry Warren.
McCorkle was in her late twenties in 1975, and although she wasn't nearly as well-known as she would be in the '80s and '90s, she had some very enthusiastic supporters in England -- namely, producer
Chris Ellis and pianist
Keith Ingham. Both of them help
McCorkle out on these demos; with
Ellis serving as producer and
Ingham accompanying her on piano,
McCorkle comes across as a singer who has some growing and developing to do but still has considerable potential. In 1975,
McCorkle had a major
Billie Holiday obsession and, at times, she goes out of her way to emulate
Lady Day's '30s recordings (which is a mistake because it's best to be yourself). But more often than not,
McCorkle is wise enough to let her own personality shine through, and one really hears her potential on material that ranges from
"This Funny World," "As Times Goes By," and
"42nd Street" to the Brazilian song
"Felicidade" (which demonstrates that even in 1975,
McCorkle was capable of singing in Portuguese). Meanwhile,
McCorkle's version of
"I Love a Film Cliché" is too campy for its own good; this is the sort of performance that gives certain types of
cabaret a bad name. Again,
McCorkle still had some growing and developing to do in 1975, but excellence was just around the corner -- and
Ellis was among the people who helped her achieve it. Although inconsistent and not recommended to casual listeners,
The Beginning 1975 is a disc that
McCorkle's hardcore fans will find fascinating.
~Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
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