Customer Reviews

What a Diff'rence a Day Makes!

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4 star:		(2)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

While FINEST HOUR or ULTIMATE collection are representative of DINAH at her best,WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES shows the many ways she can tackle a ballad.MANHATTAN is sung in a much slower tempo than usual;I REMEMBER YOU it seems was written for her.DINAH indeed has her own ways-like all great singers have- to dissect a song and made it her own.She even dare change the lyric to the title track and it works.Her singing is often poignant,but we got to admit that her own life was somekind of inspiration.DINAH certainly knew what the word lonelyness meant.

Although I am great admirer of work of Dinah Washington, at first I wasnt sure what to think about this album.After years in bussines and simply faboulous blues records she made a name with (check out her tribute to Bessie smith!), she turned to pop audience with this album and obviously made lots of money.It sounds very much like "The Platters" of their best-selling records, which could be soft and easy at their best or annoyingly and calculatedly sweet at their worst.Lost in the sea of strings, backed by anonymous female choir, this great voice swims through 12 beautiful ballads just a bit too easy for comfort.If anybody else sings this, I would dismiss it as pop trash of the period but because great Dinah has put so much affections and feelings into material (and because she died soon afterwards, so all her records are precious) I love it.Title song has still power to make me cry after all these years and the sole beauty of Dinah's voice could be the reason for purchasing this album.The influence of Billie Holiday, Dinah's favourite singer, is very obvious in almost every song.

The irony of the change of lyrics on the title track is just one of many fables that surround the exciting and too short career of one Miss Dinah Washington. (what a diff'rence a day "MAKES" was written "MADE" by Stanley Adams, while transposing this song from its original Spanish form) Dinah is teamed here with Belford Hendricks, who also arranged for Sarah Vaughan and Nat King Cole, among others, and beautifully, just as on these sides) His lazy chorus and strings might take true "old-school" Dinah fans by surprise, but upon further listening, you find them framing the great Dinah sound snugly, if not perfectly. This collection of great ballads, complete with three bonus tracks, contains highlights like the Rodgers & Hart evergreen, "MANHATTAN", Johnny Mercer's classic "I REMEMBER YOU" (complete with oft-skipped lyric), and the newly written (at the time) "NOTHING IN THE WORLD", co-penned by arranger Hendricks, and one Clyde Otis, who also wrote Dinah's hit, the unforgettably beautiful and haunting "THIS BITTER EARTH". Excellent packaging and reproduction of original liner notes earn this fantastic package extra points. In my opinion, this album is in a very hot race for the "must have" variety, with Dinah's "UNFORGETTABLE" disc, (which includes the aforementioned "THIS BITTER EARTH" among other greats, and is also arranged by Hendricks) As a fellow Chicagoan, I'm glad Ruth Jones became Dinah Washington, and recorded this fantastic album of standards!

I think Dinah Washington sounds best vocally in this compilation of ballads and standards. This is a CD where the songs show off the magnificent voice and musicality of Dinah Washington. I have heard her other CD's but for me, this is one CD which I can play in the background as I eat my favorite foods during a quiet and rainy afternoon and think about the day that has passed. Quiet times with a musician of her great artistry mark this CD of Miss Washington... extraordinary voice and delivery.

Like some listeners of Dinah's earlier blues stuff, I wasn't immediately turned on by this "Ray Coniff-type" of arrangement. But after repeated listenings, I discovered the multi-textured interpretations by Dinah. All the songs here have been covered by others singers before or since, but I keep going back to Dinah's interpretations on this CD. There's just something about her voice, the way she expresses joy, sadness, pain, hope, misery, that makes it all too real for the listener. Anyone who has been thru the rigors of love and a broken relationship can certainly identify with Dinah on this disc. After a while, you almost ignore the arrangements and start enjoying the music because Dinah makes a difference.

Dinah Washington possessed a singularly beautiful voice that remains instantly unforgettable to this day. Dinah instinctively knew how to take a song and make it her own using her excellent diction and beautiful voice. Her voice is not unlike Billie Holiday's in that you can sense each and every nuance of all the emotions in the world in every single syllable Dinah ever sang. This CD gives us an excellent look at Dinah's strong ability to sing great ballads about the joy of love and love gone awry. Dinah makes each ballad into a type of symphony that very few singers could ever hope to recreate.

The CD track set starts off with the beautiful "I Remember You." Dinah sings the first few bars a Capella; and this REALLY shows off her exquisite voice and perfect diction. The musical arrangement that then begins enhances the beauty of the melody with strings, percussion, flute and piano while never detracting so much as an ounce from Dinah's powerful voice. The chorus sings well, too.

Other special numbers on this CD include a haunting rendition of "Cry me A River" with Dinah's voice gliding through the lyrics like a flowing melody all its own. The musical arrangement and the chorus help; but Dinah carries this song without question. "What A Diff'rence A Day Made" displays Dinah's thoughtfulness once again; she takes the song's title "What A Diff'rence A Day Makes" and changes "Makes" to "Made" and this tiny little shift alone makes the ballad even more beautiful than it was before. Dinah's attention to every last detail always made her performance stronger and more commanding; you can't help but focus on the sound of her beautiful voice whenever you hear it.

"Manhattan" gives Dinah the chance to belt out this classic love ballad once again in her own way. You'll notice how Dinah used the subtlest changes in rhythm and enunciation of syllables to evoke strong emotional reactions from her audience. The musical arrangement positively shines while the chorus in the background harmonizes perfectly, too!

One bonus of this CD is that you get three extra tracks: you get the first version of "Time After Time" in addition to the version that made it to the record album final cut; and you'll enjoy "Come On Home," too. Dinah does a superb job with "It Could Happen To You;" and I confess I don't know why this masterpiece was not released on the record album. Dinah sings "It Could Happen To You" so skillfully with a special degree of sensitivity that I rarely hear.

The liner notes include an excellent essay about Dinah's career by Al Young; and the art work exceeds my expectations with great use of colors and prints. The photos of Dinah are wonderful to look at as well; and the extra bonus track of Dinah joking with her peers shows how Dinah really enjoyed herself when she recorded this fine music.

It would be misleading to state that Dinah Washington truly left this world when she passed so prematurely in late 1962. Indeed, Dinah lives on very well through her music. There are dozens of Dinah Washington CDs out there; and this one is certainly a "must-have" for Dinah Washington fans. I also recommend this CD for people who enjoy classic pop vocals and easy listening music from the late 1950s.

I have the LP of the same. Listening to the recordings again bought chills to my body. Wonderfully romantic.

I have heard of Dinah Washington but had no idea what a totally beautiful voice she had.What a romantic album! I would recommend it to anyone that enjoys dreamy lovely music. I will certainly purchase more of her music.

Few seem to bother noticing that What a Diff'rence a Day Makes! was a concept album. Side A of the original LP consists of after-the-breakup songs of longing, remembrance, misery and regret. Then, flip the LP over, and Side B begins with the sun-breaking-through-the-clouds of the title tune, as the lovers in this song cycle get back together. Side B takes you through the giddiness of love and then back towards the growing realisation that things will go sour again. Listened to as an entire album, Dinah's beautiful vocal performance, set against these haunting arrangments, makes for an emotionally-wrenching experience. If you've ever loved and lost, sit down and really listen to this album, from beginning to end. You'll never be the same.

This is the best of Dinah Washington's albums. Every song is a heartfelt masterpiece.