Sing My Heart - The Songs of Harold Arlen

For her second release for the DRG label, K.T. Sullivan directs her shimmering, scintillating soprano to the works of one of America's most prolific and successful songsmiths, Harold Arlen. She has selected tunes that Arlen wrote for stage and film. Not limited to just his better-known gems, the play list is dotted with samples of his less-familiar, but still bewitching, works. One of the more captivating tracks is one that comes from the less-familiar category, the medley of"Little Drops of Rain"and "Right As the Rain," which Arlen wrote with one of his more frequent collaborators, E.Y. "Yip" Harburg. The title song, "Sing My Heart," was originally an aria written for the operatic voice of movie star Irene Dunne for her role in Love Affair. On the other end of the spectrum, Sullivan deals with the quasi-novelty tune "If I Only Had a Brain" with a flick-of-the-wrist air. Sullivan has the capacity to handle familiar and obscure, ballad and up-tempo with equanimity, as if she has been doing these songs forever. This happy state of affairs comes from an early exposure to the singing art, albeit as part of the religion-oriented Sullivan Family Gospel Singers. And talking about family, Stacy Sullivan makes an appearance to help on "Two Ladies in de Shade of de Banana Tree." The singers' best friend, at least in the proximity of New York City, Mike Renzi, did the arranging and provides the accompaniment, including the electronically created ersatz strings that appear on a few tracks. Following in the footsteps of those who paved the way in cabaret, Sullivan helps to keep that tradition alive and glowing with this recommended album.