THE DIVINE ONE  -  SARAH VAUGHAN

YEAR:  1961
LABEL:  Roulette
TRACK LISTING:  Have You Met Miss Jones?,  Ain't No Use,  Every Time I See You,  You Stepped Out of a Dream,  Gloomy Sunday,  What Do You See In Her?,  Jump For Joy,  When Your Lover Has Gone,  I'm Gonna Laugh You Out of My Life,  Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams,  Somebody Else's Dream,  Trouble Is A Man
IMPRESSIONS:  More Sassy so soon?  You can never have too much Sarah Vaughan.  This is an intimate sounding album with Sassy backed by a small trio of piano, trumpet and drums only and beautifully represents the pared-down sound she established once she moved to the Roulette label.  This is only the second album she made during that brief but important portion of her career; her first Roulette album "DREAMY" sadly remains unissued on cd as is the case with the criminally un-reissued "SNOWBOUND" album!  I first encountered some of these tracks on a 1991 compilation cd called "SARAH VAUGHAN THE ROULETTE YEARS VOLUMES ONE & TWO" which cherry-picked songs from her three-year stint at the label.  The floating head on the album cover gives a sense of the quieter aspect of Sarah's Roulette work as the listener imagines the singer with her small trio ensconced in the solitude of the recording studio laying down track after track of superb jazz standards; although many of the selections here are lesser-known songs -- even those by such well-known songwriters as Rodgers & Hart, Nacio Herb Brown & Gus Kahn, Hal David or Duke Ellington.  This is an album perfect for anytime:  late-night quietude or sunny afternoon spring-cleaning listening!  Although I must admit I can never hear "Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams" without immediately thinking of the famous Bing Crosby blooper!
MY FAVOURITE TRACKS:  Have You Met Miss Jones?,  Ain't No Use,  You Stepped Out of a Dream,  Gloomy Sunday,  Jump For Joy,  I'm Gonna Laugh You Out of My Life,  Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams,  Somebody Else's Dream,  Trouble Is A Man
FACT SHEET:  THE DIVINE ONE is Sarah Vaughan's 16th album (more or less, it's difficult to gauge these things) and her second album for the Roulette label.  Sarah is accompanied by the trio of Jimmy Jones (piano, arranger), Harry "Sweets" Edison (trumpet) and Don Lamond (drums).