Song Stylist Extraordinaire - Valerie Carr

 

Lazy Afternoon

Valerie Carr

Song Stylist Extraordinaire 

Orchestra Conducted by Glenn Osser

Produced by Hugo & Luigi

Cover Photo: Desmond Russell

Roulette R 25046

1958

From the back cover: The lady's name is Valerie Carr, but you needn't worry because after hearing what the lady has to say in terms of words and music, it isn't likely that you will be forgetting her name.

Valerie Carr is one of those once-in-a-lifetime singers, a girl with a natural talent and flair for making you feel as though the song had been written with you in mind. She gives every note its due respect and proper place and every word is treated with utmost care, diction and full meaning. Valerie Carr many be young in years, but in this album she practices an ancient art of hypnotic ways, an art that is seldom managed through the medium of song. There is in the background a lush string accompaniment rendering a smooth and perfectly fitted arrangement, but up front at all times there is always Valerie giving out with trust the right turn of phrase and just the right tremor in her voice. She sobs, purrs, coos, is sometimes mellow, and at other times outstandingly clear. Her rendition of "Over The Rainbow" is overpowering; it completely stuns you. Her approach to some of the other standards in this set is a reversal of this and at times rather an understatement.

To turn the clock back for a moment, it wasn't by any quirk of fate of some unique accident that Valerie Carr quit playing classical piano and began singing. It would make a nice story, but it didn't happen that way. It was all very simple. On day, not too long ago, Valerie decided that she would klide to try her hand at singing. She started right in working local clubs in Boston and, in just this manner, a new career was under way.

Valerie Carr was born in New York twenty-two years ago. She lived a normal school girl's life attending the High School of Performing Arts. After finishing high school, Valerie decided to leave the environs of her home, and make her own way in the world. She had friends in Boston and went there to live. It was while she was in Boston that she made the overnight decision to quit classical piano for a professional singing career. She studied voice with Lee Daniels, who is connected with the Berkeley School of Music and almost simultaneously began taking singing jobs.

Following this, Valerie decided that to further her singing aspirations, she would do better to move back to New York. The move proved to be the most important one in her life. She started making demonstrations records of songs so that the recording directors at the various labels could hear the songs to best advantage. One of the songs, "So Goes My Love," was brought to the attention of Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore, A&R Directors for Roulette Records. The A&R team liked the song and the voice, but thought the two didn't go together. They recorded "So Goes My Love" with Frankie Lemon and signed Valerie to an exclusive recording contract. The contract remained on file for months and Valerie was deep waiting. Hugo and Luging were waiting too; they were waiting for the right song. "You're The Greatest," Valerie's first release off Roulette was the song they were waiting for. Her second release for the label was a song entitled "When The Boys Talk About The Girls," which reached all the best seller lists and really entrenched Valerie as an up-and-coming name.

This album should o even further in winning new followers for Valerie Carr. In it she takes a fling at some wonderful, well-loved evergreens such as "My Funny Valentine," "I'm Glad There Is You," the immortal Victor Young classic, "When I Fall In Love" and the Jerome Kern gem, "They Didn't Believe Me."

Valerie Carr, song stylist extraordinaire, has recorded a remarkable warm and pleasing album. It will surely take its place as a favorite in your record collection.

From Billboard - November 3, 1958: The chick who has had a couple of good selling singles displays an emotion-charged voice on these sides – made up of standards as "I'm Glad There Is You," "They Didn't Believe Me," "My Funny Valentin," etc. Background is lush with strings and captures a mood.

I'm Glad There Is You

Make The Man Love Me

Try A Little Tenderness

They Didn't Believe Me

Lazy Afternoon

Over The Rainbow

Time After Time

My Funny Valentine

I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good

When I Fall In Love

In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning