Search - Evelyn Knight :: Lass With the Delicate Air

Great compilation largely avoiding the hits

Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 06/05/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My introduction to Evelyn's music came via a collection that contained all her hits except one (My heart cries for you, a duet with Red Foley), though it included another duet with Red Foley that didn't chart. This compilation on a different label includes that hit and also includes her biggest American hit (A little bird told me, which spent seven weeks at number one) and one of her minor hits (It's too late now) but otherwise omits her American hits. That's fair enough because a lot of people who bought this compilation probably bought the earlier compilation too, as I did. The remaining tracks here are all of a high quality.



Of the other tracks, three (My grandfather's clock, Let him go let him tarry, I remember the cornfields) were apparently popular in Britain, but the only UK charts then available were sheet music charts, about which I know precisely nothing. Record sales charts didn't appear (at least not officially) until November 1952, by which time Evelyn had stopped making records. The liner notes highlight some other tracks (Snowflakes, I'm in the middle of a riddle, Rosy apples, On an ordinary morning) as being particularly sought after by Evelyn's fans, but to be honest it's hard to pick out highlights from such a brilliant compilation. Evelyn's music generally reflected her bubbly personality, but she can sing the ballads too, as is clear from her recordings of A woman likes to be told, If I ever love again and I get along without you very well.



The liner notes fail to explain why Evelyn's recording career ended in 1951, but it seems that nobody knows why. A look at the American charts shows that after Evelyn's second and last number one hit (Powder your face with sunshine, released in 1948, but which stayed in the charts until March 1949 - it's not included here), Evelyn only had four more hits, all of them minor. Maybe Evelyn thought that her days as a recording artist were coming to an end anyway and quit while ahead, or maybe she was told she wasn't wanted anymore. Whatever the reason, Evelyn made plenty of great music between 1944 and 1951.



Despite the lack of hits, this is an excellent 28-track compilation of very enjoyable music by a much under-rated singer. With the likes of Jo Stafford, Dinah Shore, Peggy Lee, Margaret Whiting, Doris Day and others offering stiff competition, it is easy to see how some people might overlook Evelyn's music. However, although I love the music of all these singers, they each had their own distinctive style, as Evelyn also had her style. If you enjoy listening to the great female singers of the forties, give Evelyn Knight a listen. You won't regret it."