The First Lady of R&B

Missing a lot of songs, but still important to buy. Some of these songs made me cry. The emotions in her voice were so unreal. People compare her to Billie and Bessie a lot, but Dinah had her own style. It's too bad that she is not remembered as much as the other ladies. One day, she will get her due respect (maybe a movie will help). Anyway, if these songs don't make you a fan then you don't know good music.

There will never be another Dinah Washington

Anybody who likes Billie Holiday or Ella Fitzgerald will love Dinah, who at times reminds me of them, but her style is very much her own.

This is an excellent introduction to Dinah's music. It includes all the essential solo tracks, but not the famous duets with Brook Benton, which I already had on a Brook Benton compilation.

Apart from the essential songs (like Mad about the boy, What a difference a day makes and September in the rain), the collection is filled with covers of the great classics of the thirties, forties and fifties. That's no bad thing, as Dinah always stamps her own identity on the songs while respecting the original. You wouldn't mistake Dinah's version of Cry me a river for Julie London's. Both are brilliant, but different. So it is throughout this set. Smoke gets in your eyes and Love letters are other good ezamples.

If you haven't got any of Dinah's music, begin here, but don't just stop at this - explore further !!!!

Unlike most albums, this doesn't have a clunker

I have the original vinyl version and now have it on CD. Unlike a lot of albums by our favorite singers/groups, this is one CD that doesn' have a draggy or clunky tune on it -- they are all winners. No one sings like Dinah Washington -- she is(was) a national treasure and this is a knockout album of very very good tunes.