When I Look in Your Eyes is a studio album by American singer, Carol Sloane. It was released by the Concord Jazz label in September 1994 and was her third collection with the company. The jazz product contained 13 songs mostly music from the Great American Songbook, including a cover of June Christy's "Something Cool". It received critical acclaim from several publications including AllMusic and The New York Times.
Carol Sloane rose to success in the jazz field after a critically acclaimed performance at the 1961 Newport Jazz Festival. From there, Columbia Records signed her to a contract and she recorded two albums. As the 1960s progressed, jazz lost its American audience and found more attention in Japan where Sloane recorded in the 1970s and 1980s. However, her career had stalled considerably and she worked jobs outside music until she was agreed to record for Concord Jazz in the 1990s.[2] The label restored her career and When I Look in Your Eyes was her third product for the label.[3] The project was recorded in June 1994 at Penny Lane Studios, located in New York City. The sessions were produced by John Burk.[4]When I Look in Your Eyes contained 13 songs[1] that feature uptempo swing numbers but mostly contains ballads that come from the Great American Songbook.[5] This includes June Christy's "Something Cool"[1] while the title track originally comes from Doctor Doolittle.[5]
Release and critical reception
When I Look in Your Eyes was released by Concord Jazz in September 1994 and was offered as a compact disc (CD).[4] It received critical acclaim following its release. James Gavin of The New York Times positively compared her to Ella Fitzgerald and believed her to carry on her musical legacy. He also wrote, "To these she adds a relaxed, sexy air and a knack for drama that never goes overboard."[5] The United Press International instead found Sloane to carry Carmen McRae's musical legacy for appreciating strong lyrics. The publication also wrote, "On each of the 13 songs on 'When I Look in Your Eyes,' her vocal clarity, spellbinding phrasing, uncanny timing and the sense that she has lived each and every lyric are evident."[3] Biographer, Will Friedwald, found Sloane's Concord albums (including When I Look in Your Eyes) to be "the most consistently excellent and rewarding work of Sloane's career".[2]Scott Yanow of AllMusic called the album "one of Carol Sloane's finest recordings" for being a characteristic song interpreter. He also praised the project's mixture of uptempo and ballad tracks.[1]
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