Witch Craft: The Songs of Carolyn Leigh
If you thought onlyFrank Sinatracould sing "Witchcraft," take a listen to Sara Zahn. A veteran of cabaret and television work, she has a warm mezzo with a hint of brass that proves ideal for this collection of songs by lyricistCarolyn Leigh. Zahn covers a number of Leigh's well-known pop-standard collaborations withCy Coleman("You Fascinate Me So," "The Best Is Yet to Come"), but Leigh also penned other songs, with fun rhymes, and in which the stories are the stars. Take, for example, two songs from Leigh's aborted project with Marvin Hamlisch, a musicalization of the teen-pageant movieSmile: you can hear contrasting evocations of young dreams in the hopeful joy of "Six O'Clock News" and the wry humor of "Nightlife in Santa Rosa." You can buyWitch Craftfor the songs you know, but see if you don't spend all your time listening to the others. Either way, this album is not to be missed.--David Horiuchi