Since the 1950s, when Variety described her as “the whispery-styled jazz fave with chi-chi Gothamites,” Blossom Dearie has been recognized as one of the great voices in jazz. A veteran of Woody Herman’s big band, Dearie was an expatriate pianist and singer in Paris when Norman Granz discovered her and brought her back to America to record for his new Verve label. On this, the fourth of her six Verve albums, she applied her distinctively low-key touch to the equally distinctive catalog of the Broadway and Hollywood lyricists Betty Comden and Adolph Green. Buoyed by the success of Ella Fitzgerald's songbook series, Verve executive Norman Granz suggested to one of his other artists, Blossom Dearie, that she tackle the canon of lyricists Betty Comden and Adolph Green. But while Ella's acrobatic voice proved more than a match for any brand of songwriter (especially heavyweights like Gershwin, Porter, and Berlin), Dearie's porcelain vocals and restrained theatrics didn't immediately leap to mind when thinking of Comden and Green's exuberant material. Still, Blossom Dearie Sings Comden and Green is an interesting songbook, a collection of ten standards done Dearie's way, like no other. Usually accompanied just by bassist Ray Brown and drummer Ed Thigpen, she exercises a great deal of restraint for the usually confident "Just in Time." When the same technique is applied to "Dance Only With Me," however, losing just a few steps of the song's waltz tempo proves nearly fatal. Also, Dearie's voice isn't as strong as on her earlier records; perhaps the slight drop in songwriting quality is as much to blame as vocal strain. The date does pick up when Kenny Burrell arrives for the second side (he provides a deft accompaniment to "The Party's Over" and "Lonely Town"), though as darling as Dearie's voice is, the similarity of the material drags down even the sprightliest songbird. (John Bush) 10 Tracks. Recorded April 1959 in New York City. High-resolution, 96 kHz, 24-bit digital transfer. New liner notes photographs, original cover art, and more.