Pictures & Paintings
OnPictures and Paintings, Charlie Rich got the chance before he died to make the jazz record he always had in him, though of course, this is Charlie Rich, so even when he's doing Duke Ellington's "Mood Indigo," it's neverjustjazz. Always a singer's singer, Rich slides gracefully here--in the same song, sometimes even in the same phrase--from jazz and blues to pop and gospel, his gruff vocals straining, sighing, tearing, pausing,livingin these songs until you'll swear you've lived them too. Backed by a swinging combo that includes his own Stan Getz-influenced piano, Rich is flawless throughout, whether he's laying down a definitive "Am I Blue" or revisiting his own "Feel Like Going Home."--David Cantwell