19. Ella Fitzgerald | Sings the Gershwin Song Book (1959)

Wikipedia entry

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Tracks

1. Sam and Delilah
2. But Not for Me
3. My One and Only
4. Let's Call the Whole Thing Off
5. (I've Got) Beginner's Luck
6. Oh, Lady be Good!
7. Nice Work If You Can Get It
8. Things Are Looking Up
9. Just Another Rhumba
10. How Long Has This Been Going On?
11. 'S Wonderful
12. The Man I Love
13. That Certain Feeling
14. By Strauss
15. Someone to Watch Over Me
16. The Real American Folk Song (Is a Rag)
17. Who Cares?
18. Looking For a Boy
19. They All Laughed
20. My Cousin in Milwaukee
21. Somebody from Somewhere
22. A Foggy Day
23. Clap Yo' Hands
24. For You, For Me, For Evermore
25. Stiff Upper Lip
26. Boy Wanted
27. Strike Up the Band
28. Soon
29. I've Got a Crush on You
30. Bidin' My Time
31. Aren't You Kind Of Glad We Did?
32. Of Thee I Sing
33. 'The Half of it, Dearie' Blues
34. I Was Doing All Right
35. He Loves and She Loves
36. Love is Sweeping the Country
37. Treat Me Rough
38. Our Love is Here to Stay
39. Slap That Bass
40. Isn't It a Pity?
41. Shall We Dance?
42. Love Walked In
43. You've Got What Gets Me
44. They Can't Take That Away from Me
45. Embraceable You
46. I Can't Be Bothered Now
47. Boy! What Love Has Done To Me!
48. Fascinating Rhythm
49. Funny Face
50. Lorelei
51. Oh, So Nice!
52. Let's Kiss and Make Up
53. I Got Rhythm

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At around three hours in length, Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Gershwin Song Book is an epic work. The music is wonderful and Ella Fitzgerald has a beautiful, crystal-clear voice. In fact, her voice is nearly perfect, but I didn't sense any emotion or feeling coming through in her singing. Or perhaps, the songs weren't that inspiring lyrically. Either way, none of the songs really made a lasting impression on me.

Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Gershwin Song Book is certainly worth listening to. However, listening to the whole album in one go is truly a feat of endurance, so, to get a better appreciation of the album, it's probably best to listen to it in small doses.

Some of the more notable songs on the album are: Sam and Delilah, My One and Only, Just Another Rhumba, 'S Wonderful, By Strauss, Someone to Watch Over Me, They All Laughed, My Cousin in Milwaukee, Stiff Upper Lip, Boy Wanted, Bidin' My Time, 'The Half of it, Dearie' Blues, He Loves and She Loves, Treat Me Rough, Our Love is Here to Stay, Slap That Bass, I Can't Be Bothered Now, Fascinating Rhythm and I Got Rhythm.
★★★★★★★★★☆☆