Dionne Warwcik: 4on2 CD Box Set Vol. 2

Here I Am (’65; # 3 / 45) / Dionne Warwick in Paris (’66; # 3 / 76) / Here Where There Is Love (’66; # 1 / 18) / On Stage and in the Movies (’67; # 11 / 169) – EDSK 7052 (2 CDs)

-         charted singles: Here I Am, Looking With My Eyes, Are You There (with Another Girl), Message to Michael (*), Trains and Boats and Planes, I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself, Alfie (*)

  The Here I Am album contains as many as nine Bacharach-David compositions, and the music veers strongly to the middle-of-the-road.  Most notably exceptions are two tracks.  One is like a reminder of Dionne’s 50s days, a pure gospel rendition of This Little Light of Mine, and the second one – Long Day, Short Night – is close to joyous Caribbean rhythms. 

  Being a jazzy big-band recording, In Paris, faired surprisingly well on the charts.  There’s even one duet with Sacha Distel, Oh Yeah Yeah Yeah, although music-wise it’s inferior.  Still on the big minus side, What’d I Say is embarrassingly poor.

  Here Where There Is Love was certified gold, and it really is quite strong r&b album, with a couple of MOR tracks thrown in.  Besides three hit songs (Alfie, Trains... and I Just Don’t Know...), there’s the melodic title ballad and a nice version of What the World Needs Now Is Love. 

  The title of the last album on this set (On Stage and in the Movies) really tells it all.  It was strange, how Dionne often followed her entertaining and soulful album – and usually a good seller - with a Broadway & jazz LP.  You’ll Never Walk Alone, of course, is the well-known “soccer” big ballad and Anything You Can Do is sort of Mexican fun with Chuck Jackson.

© Heikki Suosalo