Daydreaming (Explicit)

by Bruce EderRecorded late in 1961, this album is a milestone in Doris Day's career -- despite having generated no hits -- as her best long-player (and, by extension, her best CD), and her purest jazz solo album. Cut as a duet with Andre Previn (with Previn Trio bassist Red Mitchell and drummer Frank Capp providing occasional support), the album presents Day in the most intimate musical setting of her career. Her trademark style of singing works twice as well here as it did on her swing-era and early solo recordings. The repertory includes "Fools Rush In," and Alec Wilder's "Give Me Time," "Falling In Love Again," and a few Previn-authored pieces that hold up magnificently in this company. The CD reissue includes three previously unreleased outtakes, among them even more upbeat renditions of "Fools Rush In" and "Close Your Eyes." And the notes by Will Friedwald are also a treat. Worth tracking down -- if you own only one Doris Day non-hits/non-swing-era CD, this is the one.