Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook, Vol. 1
There have probably never been a singer and a songwriter as perfect for each other as Ella and Cole, and this delicious, inexhaustibly delightful album is the pinnacle of Fitzgerald's career, not to mention one of the most likeable records ever made. Porter's songs were wry, sly and as sexy as he could get away with; over Buddy Bregman arrangements that have the good sense to stay out of the way, Ella delivers them with absolute grace and wit, savoring the words' erudite jokes but integrating them into her playful, technically astonishing swing.The Cole Porter Songbook--augmented with three illuminating alternate takes in this rerelease--works as jazz, as Broadway, and as an example of what a great vocalist can do with the right lyric.--Douglas Wolk