Blossom Dearie Sings Comden & Green
Blossom Dearie was 32 when she recorded this album in 1959. But there's always been something of a little girl's artlessness in her singing, which  somehow radiates great sophistication. That peculiar mix sets her apart from  other '50s singers who also favored a cool, minimally inflected delivery, like  Julie London or June Christy. Singing or quietly accompanying herself on piano,  Dearie makes less do more, rather like her fan Miles Davis. The band--guitarist  Kenny Burrell, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer Ed Thigpen--lays low, discreet.  The songs, featuring urbane lyrics by Adolph Comden and Betty Green, are drawn  from shows and films such asOn the Town,Bells Are Ringing, andIt's Always Fair Weather, with music by (respectively) Leonard Bernstein, Jule Styne, and André Previn. Not all selections are as strong as the standards (and standouts) "Just in Time," (an  unexpectedly jaunty) "The Party's Over," and the bittersweet masterpiece "Some  Other Time," but Dearie's low-key charm carries the day.--Kevin  Whitehead