Dianne Reeves: The Calling: Celebrating Sarah Vaughan : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

She sang like an angel and swore like a sailor -- could there be a jazz singer more deserving of a tribute than Sarah "Sassy" Vaughan, one of the finest singers and musicians that jazz ever produced? Probably not, but that doesn't mean it's an easy to pull off successfully. Reeves, no slouch in the vocal department herself, does an admirable job here, especially on signature Vaughan tunes like "Lullaby of Birdland" and "Key Largo." But the production style chosen by knob-twiddler George Duke -- fussy, frilly and with more strings attached than a used car salesman's contract -- overwhelms rather than overjoys on tracks like "Send in the Clowns" and "Obsession." Reeves and the musicians more often than not overcome the overblown production. If only they didn't have to. (ERIK PEDERSEN)