Sweet Nothings

Liner Note Author: N.E. Fulcanwright.
This 16-track collection lacks too many key sides to be considered the perfect introduction to Brenda Lee, but what's here may be revelatory to casual listeners who only know the singer as a teen idol; Lee was much more than that. Working with Nashville producer Owen Bradley, Lee, along with fellow Bradley protégé Patsy Cline, was perfect for country and pop crossover appeal, and all of her '60s work perfectly straddles the two genres. Sometimes the approach didn't work (Lee's orchestrated version of Hank Williams' "Jambalaya" is a fish out of water if ever there was one), but when it did work, like on the edgy, rockabilly-tinged "Sweet Nothin's," the results were impossible to resist. Lee's singing oozed personality, and her big ballads like "All Alone Am I" and "I'm Sorry" manage to sound intimate and sincere even while surrounded by huge, orchestrated arrangements. This isn't a bad set, but there is simply more to the story than what is presented here. ~ Steve Leggett