“In listening to Norma Deloris Egstrom now — hopefully with fresh, unbiased ears, and knowing that it represents a turning point in her career — it now more obviously belongs in another category altogether. In perspective, the album is part of a continuum with Frank Sinatra’s September of My Years[…]
“It is a stirring and remarkably melancholic album that gives voice to grief and isolation through Lee’s wrenching performances of ‘It Takes Too Long to Learn to Live Alone’ and ‘Superstar,’ at the time a recent hit for the Carpenters. Artie Butler’s arrangements are sublime, giving Lee’s anguish plenty of[…]
“The most enduring Peggy Lee Christmas recordings were, however, made for Capitol – most significantly for 1960’s Christmas Carousel: an inspired collection of covers and self-penned yuletide tunes arranged by Billy May (Frank Sinatra, Nat ‘King’ Cole, Ella Fitzgerald) and produced by Woody Herman acolyte Dave Cavanaugh. Surely Lee’s ultimate[…]
“This CD isn’t only essential to fans but a fine introduction to an artist with class. If an aspiring female singer wonders about her own style she must start by studying Peggy Lee. Exciting without flamboyance, with a seductive tone that’s not vulgar. There’s a sassy intonation to her vocal[…]
“Norma Deloris Egstrom From Jamestown, North Dakota was largely ignored at the time of its release. Over the years, though, it has grown in stature. It revealed, with its bold choice of material, that Peggy Lee was unafraid of taking creative risks, which is the hallmark of every great artist.” [Source:[…]
With Norma Deloris Egstrom from Jamestown, North Dakota, both the title (Lee’s birth name) and the stark cover portrait indicated the song stylist’s desire to strip away any artifice, revealing the woman behind the music. On November 18, Capitol/UMe will reissue, remaster, and expand this landmark set on CD, returning it to[…]