Julie London - About the Blues

It took me a while to get a handle on this album. See, About the Blues is not a blues album. Sure, it has the word "blues" in the title and there are songs with "blues" in their titles but make no mistake, this is a Julie London album, not a blues album. Julie London was to the late fifties and early sixties what Barry White was to the seventies: great make-out music. Is there make-out music anymore? Julie's sang in an understated way that was sexy without being trashy (while her album covers were just sexy). A self-described "stylist", she was at her best when the musical accompaniment acted like an escort: by the lady's side but not the focus of attention, letting the lady be the star. A few times on this album the band is louder than they should be but most of the time they let Julie lead the way. Remember, when you listen to Meaning of the Blues and About the Blues, you need to put the blues out of your mind. Nobody is going to mistake the singing on this 1957 album for Koko Taylor, because Julie London made the songs she sang all her own.