All Aglow Again!

This 1960 compilation brings together Peggy Lee's highlights from 1957 to 1959, a mid-career renaissance that saw the release of an astonishing six LPs and several hit singles, all on Capitol Records. Capitol marketed Lee as a female foil to Frank Sinatra—their biggest star at the time—but in truth, she was never truly comfortable as a snappy big-band leader. Lee’s art was premised on intimacy, and her best performances—many of which are contained here—aren't so much center-stage anthems as they are whispered confessions delivered from close range. All Aglow Again! emphasizes Lee’s sultry image, cemented by the smash hit “Fever.” That sounds as fresh today as it did 50 years ago, thanks in no small part to Jack Marshall’s insidiously skeletal arrangement. “Fever” spawned a string of sound-alikes, all of them brilliant, including “My Man,” “You Deserve," and a bluesy rendition of Ray Charles’ “Hallelujah, I Love Him So.” The music herein is highly sensual, surprisingly modern, and, at times, vaguely illicit. In other words, the most openly kept secret of the late '50s.