Search - Teddi King :: Now in Vogue

Amazing recording from an oft-overlooked vocalist

01/19/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Teddi King had an odd career as a vocalist, never achieving the fame or recognition she deserved. She had a wonderful voice. Achingly tender, sweet, and expressive. She came alive in small group jazz settings, as this recording more than demonstrates. It's a beautiful collection of ballads and jazz standards with some songs you'll know and others you're likely never to have heard. I've seen copies of this album on vinyl sell for over $200. It's that good. Buy it!"

Always In Vogue

Mr. P. Annis | Upper Norwood, London Great Britain | 10/09/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"...I picked it up because I'd heard one of the tracks on a specialist radio show. Even the presenter professed to know little of the singer. Little was I to know that I had found my favourite singer on her finest recording. It is matchless. And - believe me - I probably own far too many recordings by too many singers - even though I love them all for different reasons. This record is my desert island disc..Teddi's repertoire is immaculate. Songs that other divas are only just catching up on. 'Fools Fall In Love' by Berlin has been cropping up on a few releases lately. The musical backing is never less than sympathetic and intelligent. But it is her voice that is so astonishing. It is so beautiful on this recording that even the Tin Man would find it heart stopping. Even though she sings a little on the polite (or cool) side, within the pure, bell-like tone of her voice, you can sense the play of so many different emotions and thoughts about life and love. This is an art that is so much more subtle and intelligent than the vocal shenanigans of other singers who emotionally simply let it all hang out or - at the other extreme - stick strictly to the perceived mood of the lyric. For this reason, it can be quite an unsettling experience - in the best sense of the word - listening to Teddi sing 'Something To Live For' or reflect on 'Old Folks'. There is so much more going on here than just a pretty voice.Although, I agree with some of the reviewers that age and illness may have affected her voice a little, this is not a reason to ignore her later recordings. If anything, her voice sounds all the sweeter and more hopeful, the more it showed her age, because she never let her standards slip, and kept her remarkable diction to the end. In fact, I really see little wrong with her voice at the end of her career. Perhaps, it was a little weaker. If her voice lost a little of its surface charm, her ability to reveal the heart of a song became more apparent. The subtlety of her approach reached a new level of sophistication. If you can find a copy of Teddi's final album on the Inner City label backed by Dave McKenna (not on CD) of Gerswhin songs, don't hesitate to spend 200 bucks - or get lucky like me and find one for less than a tenner (that's £10 to you guv). In its own way, it is every bit as miraculous as 'In Vogue'. Guests have banned her reading of `Isn't It A Pity' in my household. It emotionally breaks them up because it is so exquisite. She must have been some lady. I believe a beautiful song was written with Teddi King in mind, `Songbird' by Louis McCohen. Much more evocative of her music than my clumsy words. I make a point of looking out for versions of this song. The best I've heard is on an early LP by Welisa Whitfield. I wonder why Teddi King is not better known? She deserves to be far more than a neglected footnote in the annals of popular song. I chanced on 'In Vogue' by accident. You - dear reader - will not have to rely on chance. If my sales patter has not put you off - come on cool like the faces and places in the fashion magazine of the same name - and get 'In Vogue' yourself."