Patti Austin – “For Ella”
Patti does a beyond moving tribute to the great legend Ella Fitzgerald. This is truly the quintessential Patti Austin album. It is the album her fans have been waiting for since she did the “The Real Me” in 1988. Backed by a full big band orchestra, Patti truly swings effortlessly through such jewels as “Honeysuckle Rose”, “But Not For Me”, “Mr. Paganini”, “How High The Moon”, and “Too Close for Comfort”. She also takes liberty in bringing her vocal style to a gospel flavored rendition of “Miss Otis Regrets” that gives the song new meaning and embraces it as her own. This CD is a must have for any Patti Austin fan. For additional information on Patti, go to her personal site, www.pattiaustin.com
Now, if only we could get Qwest/Warner Brothers to re-release her 1984 self-entitled album on CD, the world would be a better place or at least my world. That album featured one of my favorite club songs, “Rhythm of the Street” and the ballad, “Anyway You Can.” I guess I will keep wearing the grooves off of the vinyl copy until the CD comes out. Some of the songs from that album are included on her Rhino compilation, “The Very Best of Patti Austin – The Singles 1969-1986.” She also sings the bumpin’ dance track, “Like A Butterfly (You Send Me)” on the Masters At Work, “Our Time Is Coming” album released earlier this year. I also hope that her one-woman show, “On The Way To Love“, comes back to the Bay Area since I missed it earlier this year. Always creative and innovative, you never know what she will be working on next but you know it will be good.
