Alice Babs - What a Joy 2CD (2014)

A popular singer when she was still a young teenager, Alice Babs has had a long and varied career. She made her recording debut in 1939 at the age of 15 and, although her yodelling made her initially popular and the novelty "Swing It, Mr. Teacher" was her first hit, Babs even at the start had a highly appealing voice and a lightly swinging style. She mostly recorded in jazz and swing-oriented settings throughout the years of World War II. Babs remained active throughout the 1950s and '60s in Europe, singing everything from jazz (recording with Duke Ellington in 1963 and performing the classic "Heaven" at his second spiritual concert) and pop to a bit of classical music. By the late '70s, Alice Babs had become less active but into the mid-'90s, she occasionally performed on special occasions. Although her important first set with Duke Ellington (on Reprise) remains out of print, a Phontastic CD (Swing It!) does a fine job of summing up her first 15 years on records.

Tracklist:

CD 1:
1 Swing It, Magistern
2 Jag Har En Liten Radiola
3 Stigbergsgatan 8
4 Adress Rosenhill
5 Tva Hjartan I Swing
6 Regntunga Skyar
7 En Gang Jag Seglar I Hamn
8 Pa Sondag
9 How do you do, Mr Swing
10 Varat Gang
11 Killen Ar "Crazy"
12 Puck, Muck, Mack, Jack, Pim, Tim, Tom
13 Lille Prins Sol
14 Hey Diddle- Diddle
15 Jag Undrar Vem
16 Ha Ha Ha
17 Sjung Och Le
18 Ett Glatt Humor
19 Jitterbug Fran Soder
20 Ga Opp Och Prova Dina Vingar

CD 2:
1 God Bless The Child
2 Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen
3 What A Joy
4 Ev'ry Time I Feel The Spirit
5 Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child
6 Yesterday
7 Close to you
8 Said the Willow Tree
9 Don't Get Around Much Anymore
10 In A Mellow Tone
11 Vocalise
12 Freedom I
13 There's Something About Me
14 Warm Valley
15 It Don't Mean a Thing