Esther Phillips: And I Love Him! / Esther Phillips Sings (1965-1966)

Esther Phillips was perhaps too versatile for her own good, at least commercially speaking; while she was adept at singing blues, early R&B, gritty soul, jazz, straight-up pop, disco, and even country, her record companies often lacked a clear idea of how to market her, which prevented her from reaching as wide an audience as she otherwise might have. An acquired taste for some, Phillips' voice had an idiosyncratic, nasal quality that often earned comparisons to Nina Simone, although she herself counted Dinah Washington as a chief inspiration. This compilation packages her first two LPs for Atlantic, 1965's And I Love Him! and the following year's Esther Phillips Sings. A collection of "great love songs," And I Love Him! leads with the title track, a Beatles cover and an R&B hit, featuring a soft yet tremendously effective performance from Esther. Elsewhere Phillips wears her Dinah Washington influences well, stretching out her voice and exercising it with a sly, nuanced delivery while tackling a few excellent choices for material: ‘Shangri-La,’ ‘Out of the Blue,’ and ‘I Wish You Love.’ Surprisingly, she also exhibits a sure hand with some odd crossovers like ‘Moonglow' & 'Theme from Picnic,’ ‘People,’ and ‘Girl From Ipanema.’ The arrangements, by Ray Ellis, are definitely geared toward adult pop, but fortunately they're never so ostentatious that they get in the way of Phillips' idiosyncratic voice and gorgeous performances. This album is wonderfully complemented here by Esther Sings, a lovely collection of standards that she sings in her own individual and totally winning style. With the opener ‘It's All Right With Me' leading the way, Oliver Nelson's seven arrangements bring out the best in Phillips, giving her plenty of space with light instrumentation but filling any available gaps with his strong, brassy orchestra. ‘A Taste of Honey’ and 'Just Say Goodbye' are also very successful, leaving the big-band era for a groovier period of swinging traditional pop. All in all, both albums showcase Esther Phillip's finesse and easy charm linking the world of R&B and jazzy pop. http://www.answers.com/

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Esther Phillips' classic rendition of The Beatles' 'And I Love Her (Him)'. She is introduced here by Mr. Lennon himself: