Anita the Lionheart
Sasha | at sea...sailing somewhere | 04/23/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"She may have been overshadowed by Ella Fitzgerald in Norman Granz's "Verve" company but to my ears Anita O'Day belongs to pantheon of all-time great jazz singers.This compilation presents the cream of 14 albums she recorded for "Verve",and as 8 of them are out of print,this is the only way to hear some otherwise rare and forgotten gems.If her voice mirrors her soul,Anita O'Day must have been very cool,ironic lady but just when you think she never let herself go,she surprises with poignant version of "God Bless The Child" (from her loving tribute to Billie Holiday) which she sings with real understanding and feeling.After all the vocal fireworks,her worldless vocalising and fast-scatting,it came as surprise to notice that O'Day was actually NOT born with big/pretty/beautiful voice,but its a sheer power of her personality that somehow works for her.There is something of a "bad girl" in her,which I find very appealing and while so many of commercialy succesful singers of her time had vanished together with their cheerful smiles,work of cynical and cool Anita O'Day stands the test of time perfectly.(Note: the drummer John Poole,who worked with her for decades is present on a few selections.With so many great musicians behind her,O'Day still sounds more ballsy than all of them)"
Anita O'Days Finest hour
PERSIA MATINE | Mill Valley, Ca. | 01/12/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is my favorite of all her albums. What a voice and the arrangements, well they don't do it like that anymore."
Great compilation
jo | uk | 01/13/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If you've never given Anita o'Day a try, then this is the perfect introduction to one of the great singers of the 20th century, alot of people will know who ella,sarah vaughan or billie holliay are and sound like, yet when you mention Anita you're likely to get a blank stare. Anita deserves and should be mentioned with all of the above, she was a great singer, had a totally distinctive voice, swung with the best of them and looked fantastic, if you've never seen it watch Jazz on a Summer's Day she steals the show. On this cd you get to hear some of the best versions of jazz standards recorded, believe me you won't regret buying this and once you've heard her, you'll want to hear more."