Melancholy Baby (album)
1956 studio album by Della Reese
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Melancholy Baby is a studio album by American singer Della Reese. It was released in 1956 by Jubilee Records and was the debut studio release in Reese's career. The album was a collection of standards performed by Reese in a blues style. The album received a positive response from music publications such as Billboard and Cashbox magazines. It spawned one single which happened to be the collection's title track.
| Melancholy Baby | ||||
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| Released | 1956 | |||
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| Label | Jubilee | |||
| Della Reese chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Melancholy Baby | ||||
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Background, recording and content
Della Reese was later known as an actress (notably on the series Touched by an Angel) but she began her career as a singer who recorded blues, jazz and pop. She first signed a recording contract in 1954 with Jubilee Records.[3] The label would issue her first LP Melancholy Baby.[4] The album was a collection of 12 tracks[5] that were described by Billboard as "standards" such as "When Your Lover Has Gone" and "Say It Isn't So".[4] According to the liner notes, Reese performed the tracks in a Blues style.[5]
Release, critical reception and singles
Melancholy Baby was first released to operators in 1956 and received a positive response upon its initial release according to Cash Box.[6] It was released by Jubilee Records and was offered as a vinyl LP in mono format with six tracks on each side of the disc.[5] It received a positive response from music publications following its release. Billboard magazine found the album to showcase Reese's "dramatic, stylized thrushing".[4] Cashbox similarly wrote, "Her bursts of energy, her clever elongated phrasing, and a convincing wistful delivery are spread over 12 sturdy pieces."[1] Although no formal review was given, AllMusic rated the album three out of five stars.[2] The album's title track was the only single spawned from the collection.[7]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "My Melancholy Baby" |
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| 2. | "Who Can I Turn To?" | Alec Wilder | |
| 3. | "Mood Indigo" | ||
| 4. | "I Get Along Without You Very Well" | Hoagy Carmichael | |
| 5. | "Cottage for Sale" |
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| 6. | "They Can't Take That Away from Me" |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "One for My Baby" | ||
| 2. | "I Could Have Told You So" | ||
| 3. | "When Your Lover Has Gone" | E. A. Swan | |
| 4. | "Say It Isn't So" | Irving Berlin | |
| 5. | "All Alone" | Irving Berlin | |
| 6. | "It's Monday Every Day" | Sidney Robin |
Personnel
All credits are adapted from the liner notes of Melancholy Baby.[5]
- Sid Bass – Arrangements
- Mort Goode – Liner notes
- Urbie Green, Frank Saracco, Lew McGarrity – Trombone
- Al Hall, Milt Hinton – Bass guitar
- Osie Johnson – Drums
- Sy Leichman – Photography
- Lecihman-Seide Association – Cover
- Billy Mure – Guitar
- Jimmy Nottingham, Charlie Shavers, Rex Solomon – Trumpet
- Carl Prager – Alto saxophone
- Margaret Ross – Harp
- Billy Taylor – Piano
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America | 1956 | LP Mono | Jubilee Records | [5] |
| Japan | 2016 | Compact disc | Jubilee Records (Jazz Masters Collection) | [8] |
| North America | circa 2020 |
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Parlophone Records | [9] |