Out of the Blue (Carol Sloane album)

Carol Sloane first gained notoriety after performing at the 1961 Newport Jazz Festival, which led to albums that were released by Columbia Records,^[3] with her first being Out of the Blue.^[4] The project was recorded at 30th Street Studios in New York City between November and December 1961. It was produced by Mike Berniker and featured arrangements by Bill Finegan.^[5] The original album consisted of 11 tracks, opening with "Little Girl Blue", the song that Sloane originally performed at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1961.^[6] Remaining tracks mostly consisted of ballads, while some featured uptempo swing arrangements.^[1] Another track, "My Ship", was said to be a favorite of Sloane's, according to the original liner notes.^[6]

Out of the Blue was originally released by Columbia Records (issued by CBS in the UK) in May 1962 and was her debut studio album. It was originally offered as a vinyl LP in either mono or stereo formats.^[6] It was later re-released on a compact disc in the United States by Koch Jazz, featuring three additional tracks.^[5] Among its newer tracks was "I Want You to Be the First One to Know",^[1] which was originally spawned as a single by Columbia in February 1962.^[7] Out of the Blue received critical acclaim following its release. Billboard named it one of its "Special Merit Picks" and wrote, "The lass has an individuality that projects dramatic intensity and poignant longing ballads and a fine beat on middle tempo tunes."^[2] Cash Box also praised the product, writing, "The lark's impressive wide-range voice fares equally well on ballads as on swingin' uptempo items."^[8] AllMusic's Scott Yanow reviewed its CD reissue, rating it 4.5 out of five stars. Yanow noted comparisons to Ella Fitzgerald's voice at times and concluded, "Carol Sloane was a highly appealing singer from the start."^[1]