I Can't Help It

Betty Carter

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 7, 1992)
• Original Release Date: February 1958
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Grp Records
• ASIN: B000003N6D
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #160,295 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
This CD compiles two very different sessions from 1958 and 1960, presenting contrasting sides of the great bop vocalist Betty Carter. The first is with an outstanding 13-piece big band, with thoughtful arrangements by several band members including trombonist Melba Liston, altoist Gigi Gryce, tenorist Benny Golson, and trumpeter Ray Copeland. The setting suits the bop side of Carter perfectly; her approach challenges and matches the horn solos of Golson and trumpeter Kenny Dorham. The second session, with a string orchestra arranged and conducted by Richard Wess, emphasizes the gentler, ballad side of Carter's repertoire, but she hardly sounds repressed. The renditions of "My Reverie" and "Stormy Weather" show what Carter can do with a song in even the most formal settings. --Stuart Broomer

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A nice introduction to the unuqueness of Betty Carter, April 23, 2000

By A Customer

She had a very unique voice, but she sure could improvise, swing and sing jazz. This CD was previosly released as "What A Little Moonlight Can Do" on 2 lp's in the 80's. It includes the entire LP "The Modern Sound Of Betty Carter" with arrangements by Bobby Darin's arranger. A swingin' session, with a great but unique jazz vocalist, Betty Carter's vocal tone is probably the closest any human voice has ever came to sounding like a jazz musician playing a saxaphone or a trumpet. This CD comes highly recommended.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jazz singer with distinctive style, March 4, 2004

By	Peter Durward Harris "Pete the music fan" (Leicester England) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Some of the songs here may be familiar to fans of the Great American Songbook, but Betty's versions are distinctive. Betty was not one to pander to commercialism so her records were not promoted as much as they deserved, despite the enthusiastic support of Ray Charles, who recorded some duets with her (not included here). Betty's music is rooted in jazz but has plenty of soul in it. Betty could sing ballads and up-tempo songs equally effectively, though the up-tempo songs allow her excellent musicians to show their talents also and I generally prefer these.

The most familiar songs here are You're getting to be a habit with me (recorded by many singers from Bing Crosby in the thirties to Diana Krall in the nineties, but Betty's version is among the best), But beautiful, Something wonderful, What a little moonlight can do (my favorite here - a truly outstanding version of this classic up-tempo song), Mean to me, I don't want to set the world on fire, Stormy weather (normally associated with Lena Horne or Ethel Waters, but there have been countless versions) and My reverie (originally sung by Bea Wain).

If you enjoy the music of Sarah Vaughan or Billie Holliday, you may find Betty's music to your liking. Despite the absence of her duets with Ray Charles (available elsewhere), this is a fine representation of Betty's music.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Had to know who that marvelous singer was!, May 27, 2002

By	Tenli Yavneh "yavnu" (Oakland, CA USA) - See all my reviews

I was driving in my car listening to a local jazz station play their daily uninterrupted noon CD, and this wonderful album completely mesmerized me. Unfortunately, having missed the beginning and arriving at my destination before the end, I did not hear whose work it was. The music stayed with me for days, until finally I had to track down the station's web site so I could identify the singer and the songs. Then I immediately went to amazon and ordered it. Haven't stopped listening to it since it arrived, and it only gets better.