Nancy Wilson - Welcome To My Love - Jazz - Soul - Blues torrent

Nancy Wilson

Welcome To My Love

1. In the Heat of the Night 2:32
2. May I Come In? 2:35
3. Angel Eyes 2:48
4. It Never Entered My Mind 2:49
5. I'm Always Drunk in San Francisco 2:29
6. Theme from "Hotel" 1:26
7. For Once in My Life 3:05
8. You Don't Know Me 2:27
9. Why Try to Change Me Now? 3:14 (original, undubbed vocals)
10. Welcome to My Love 2:35 (original, undubbed vocals)
11. Ode to Billie Joe 5:18
12. Let's Make the Most of a Beautiful Thing 2:38 (previously unissued bonus)

Personnel: Nancy Wilson (vocals); Oliver Nelson (arranger and conductor); Frank Strozier (alto saxophone); Bill Green (alto saxophone, bass flute); Plas Johnson (tenor saxophone); Gene Cipriano (tenor saxophone, bass flute); Ernie Snell (baritone saxophone, bass flute); Lou Haderman, Victor Arno, Jacques Gasselin, Marshall Sosson, Louis Kaufman (violin); Samuel Boghossian, Alvin Dinkin, Louis Dievman (viola); Raphael Kramer (cello); Hal Blaine (vibraphone, drums, chimes); Donn Trenner, Ralph Sharon (piano); John Collins, Joe Gibbons (guitar); Buster Williams (bass); Stan Levey, Shelly Manne (drums)

Producer: Dave Cavenaugh
Reissue producer: Michael Cuscuna

Label: Capitol Jazz, A Blue Note Label
Recorded at Capitol Studios, Los Angeles from November 1-3, 1967

Rip: mp3 @320 kbps

Review

Most of Nancy Wilson's late '60s releases contained four or five good tunes and the rest would be filler from the day's batch of B-grade pop material. Her 1967 date Welcome to My Love, though, is an exception. It offers a consistent selection of high-quality standards and strong contemporary material impressively set off by Oliver Nelson's soulfully urbane arrangements. On the subdued end there are straightahead ballads like "May I Come In" and "It Never Entered My Mind" as well as more soul-tinged numbers such as "Welcome to My Love" and "Let's Make the Most of a Beautiful Thing." Wilson's smoky, whispered voice imparts just the right amount of tender drama here while Nelson's dark and restrained string charts keep things from getting syrupy. Balancing out the set are a series of bluesy big band numbers including "In the Heat of the Night," "I'm Always Drunk in SF" and an amazing version of "Ode to Billy Joe." This classic Bobbie Gentry tune gets a funked up, backwoods treatment à la Etta James with Wilson in full swagger. Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis effectively echoes the intensity with his back in the mix, burning tenor solo while drummer Shelly Manne and bassist Buster Williams anchor the proceedings with driving intensity. The set is rounded out by fine renditions of "For Once in Life" and the classic Ray Charles hit "You Don't Know Me." On Welcome to My Love, Wilson successfully straddled the jazz/soul divide and in the process produced one of her best albums of the 60's.

- Stephen Cook, All Music Guide