Reflect on the Hits of Burt Bacharach & Hal David

by Jason Ankeny Sometimes you can imagine precisely what an album will sound like before you listen to even one note. Case in point: A title like The Anita Kerr Singers Reflect on the Hits of Burt Bacharach and Hal David is the musical equivalent of a chemical formula, a scientific guarantee that its respective elements will combine to yield lush, sophisticated pop executed with clinical perfection. Kerr's arrangements of familiar Bacharach/David hits like "The Look of Love," "Walk on By" and "I Say a Little Prayer" are nuanced and graceful, buoyed by warm, gorgeous harmonies, soaring strings and clarion brass. This is pop music written and recorded by artists who grasp completely the myriad subtleties of their craft, and while it may strike some listeners as vanilla or even hokey, its velvet elegance is nothing short of remarkable.