Al Hibbler took advantage of
Duke Ellington's policy of letting members of his orchestra record on their own as he made these cuts for the Chess label over a period of two years in the late '40s. While singularly expressive,
Hibbler had not yet adopted the exaggerated delivery style that was to characterize his later recordings. But he already had that quasi-Cockney accent he used on the final lines, sounding much like a precursor of
Anthony Newley. Accent or not, this is some of
Hibbler's better work outside of the
Ellington organization, notwithstanding his big hit to come, "Unchained Melody." Helped out by some outstanding jazz musicians, most from the
Ellington band, he takes his comparatively unaffected rich, full baritone through a play list of ballads, blues, and up-tempo material.
Ben Webster makes an appearance on "I Love You," where he engages in a call and response with
Hibbler. The singer does some bop-tinged scatting on "It Don't Mean a Thing if It Ain't Got That Swing." This track has a plunger-mute trombone solo by
Tyree Glenn as well as some singular trumpet by
Taft Jordan.
Hibbler's ingrained sentimentality comes through the song that was a hit for
the Ink Spots, "What Will I Tell My Heart." Although the transfer from the original masters is a bit uneven and there are only 26 minutes of music provided, this is a good representative sample of
Hibbler's early work. ~ Dave Nathan