Chris Connor Sings Lullabys for Lovers is a studio album by American singer, Chris Connor. The album was originally released with eight tracks in October 1954 by Bethlehem Records before being reissued with 14 tracks by the label in November 1956. It was the debut studio album in Connor's career and helped established the Bethlehem company. The disc featured ballads recorded in the popular jazz sub-genre of cool jazz such as the title tune and "Spring Is Here". It received mostly positive responses from critics in the years that followed.
Chris Connor found success in the 1950s as the lead vocalist for Stan Kenton's orchestra. She then embarked on a solo career signing with Bethlehem Records and was considered at her peak with albums like Chris Connor Sings Lullabys of Birdland.[3] The album was inspired by the newly-popular sub-genre of cool jazz. The Bethlehem label was newly-established and was struggling to make ends meet. Bethlehem producer Creed Taylor believed the answer to company's success was recording an album of cool jazz. He then chose Connor as the singer for the label's first album of cool jazz.[2]
Recording and content
Chris Connor Sings Lullabys for Lovers was recorded with Connor on lead vocals alongside the Ellis Larkins Trio. His trio comprised of Larkins on piano, Everett Barksdale on guitar and Beverley Peel on bass. The original release of the product only featured eight tracks.[4] The album contained a collection of ballads all performed in the cool jazz style.[2] Among its tunes was the title track, "Lullaby of Birdland", along with "Come Back to Sorrento" and "Spring Is Here".[5] A reissued version two years later featured 14 tracks, including the original eight songs and six more featuring Sy Oliver's orchestra.[5][6] Among the added tracks were early songs recorded by Connor prior to the release of the album like "Blue Silhouette".[7]
Chris Connor Sings Lullabys of Birdland was originally released in October 1954[8] by Bethlehem and was first offered as a 10-inch LP. It featured four tracks on both sides.[4] The reissued version was released by Bethlehem in November 1956 as a full vinyl LP[9] and featured seven songs on each side of the disc.[6] The title track was spawned as the only single from the original disc in September 1954.[10]
The album was met mostly with critical acclaim. DownBeat gave the product three stars in 1954 and called it "a winning debut" for Connor and found she performed "in fine beat and phrases like an instrument".[11]Cash Box praised Connor on the album, writing, "If you’d like to hear one of the tops in jazz singing, then you've just gotta listen to this Chris Connor album."[1]AllMusic's Scott Yanow reviewed the 1956 version and rated it four out of five stars: "Connor, who was 26 at this time, is in top form in all of the different settings and displays a wider range than one might expect."[5]Will Friedwald of the book A Biographical Guide to the Great Jazz and Pop Singers liked the original LP rather than the 1956 version for pairing "exquisite standards" with "woofers".[7]
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