Peggy Lee: Peggy Sings the Blues

Peggy Lee Peggy sings the Blues liner notes

There have been few careers in American music to compare with Peggy Lee’s. Miss Lee evolved into our greatest singing actress, producing in her performances of songs - many of which she wrote - indelible character sketches of women in all walks of life. Her work has never flagged, the quality of it has never faltered, and she is still at it. She is the most deceptive of artists, because she does what all good artists do, she makes it look easy. She never shouts. I think of her work as Stanislavian, because instead of projecting a song “at you”, she illuminates it from within. The closest parallel to her way of performing that I have ever found is the acting of Montgomery Clift. It is not so much that her songs are heard, as overheard. This album is a return to the blues for her. Blues is a term that has two levels of meaning. Strictly speaking, it is a form of song that is 12 bars long, with a specific harmonic structure. But the word has been used in a broader sense, to mean any sad song. This album embraces both meanings.