My Romance

Personnel: Carly Simon (vocals, piano); Jimmy Ryan (guitar); Michael Brecker (saxophone); Marvin Stamm (trumpet); Michael Kosarin (piano); Jay Leonhart (acoustic bass); Wayne Pedzwiatr (bass); Steve Gadd (drums); Gordon Gottlieb (percussion).
Carly Simon's MY ROMANCE, while lacking hits on the level of its predecessor, 1987's COMING AROUND AGAIN, solidified the singer-songwriter's commercial and artistic comeback. A second foray into the world of jazz and pop standards, following 1981's TORCH, MY ROMANCE pulls off the interesting feat of being an extremely personal-sounding album constructed almost entirely of covers, in the same vein as Frank Sinatra's classic string of concept albums with Nelson Riddle in the '50s.
Like those albums, there's a theme running through these 12 songs, a romantic wistfulness which allies standards like "My Funny Valentine" with lesser-known gems like "Little Girl Blue." Unlike TORCH, MY ROMANCE is a period-style recording, with intimate, almost entirely acoustic arrangements, and the tasteful use of a full orchestra. This is one of the most satisfying albums of Simon's career.