Lena Horne - Lena Horne Sings: The M-G-M Singles 'May 18, 2010

Tracks list

Tracks

1. Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man	
2. The Man I Love	
3. I Feel So Smoochie	
4. Take Love Easy	
5. Love Of My Life	
6. ’Deed I Do	
7. Sometimes I’m Happy	
8. It’s Mad, Mad, Mad!	
9. He Makes Me Believe He’s Mine	
10. I’ve Got The World On A String	
11. Is It Always Like This	
12. Something To Live For	
13. Pass Me By	
14. A Foggy Day (In London Town)	
15. Where Or When	
16. The Lady Is A Tramp

Hip-oSelect.com, under its Verve Select imprint, proudly announces the release
of Lena Horne Sings: The M-G-M Singles Collection, a 16-track set that is just
what the title claims: the first-ever retrospective of Ms. Horne’s
classic, classy singles on M-G-M Records, including her chart single
“’Deed I Do,” with most tracks on CD for the first time.
James Gavin, author of the acclaimed biography Stormy Weather: The Life Of Lena
Horne, co-produced the set and wrote its liner notes. (Stormy Weather is out in
paperback April 2010.)

Lena Horne may best be known for stunning star turns and cameos in several films
of the 1940s, including Stormy Weather, Cabin In The Sky, Ziegfeld Follies and
more, as well as her triumphant one-woman show on Broadway in the 1980s. She was
a beauty, a captivating singer, a unique figure in popular culture who paved the
way for a new black image in Hollywood. In the late 1940s, when M-G-M Records
established its record label, Ms. Horne was one of its first artists to record.
“Earlier on, people had expected her to sing the blues; instead she leaned
toward Porter, Gershwin, and Rodgers and Hart,” writes Gavin. “She
handled their complexities with grace and phrased intelligently; her diction was
like crystal. A tart edge gave her voice some of its character.”

Lena Horne Sings includes every Horne single issued on M-G-M, as well as even
rarer recordings for the label issued only on international singles and EPs,
such as “Something To Live For,” “Pass Me By” and
“A Foggy Day.” Each track is conducted either by Lennie Hayton, the
M-G-M Studios’ musical director, or Luther Henderson, a protégé of
Duke Ellington. In addition to Mr. Gavin’s terrific liner notes, the
collection includes detailed track annotations.

The nostalgic cover for Lena Horne Sings is based on the original design of a 45
RPM singles box set, while the booklet re-creates images from other rare
releases, including a 12-inch LP issued on M-G-M’s Lion subsidiary. Rare
photos from the era add to the exceptional quality of this collection. The
masters have also been significantly restored and remastered for the first time,
making a young Lena Horne sound as beautiful as she looked.

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