Released in 1955,
Very Truly Yours was the first album that
Jimmy Scott recorded for the Savoy label. After spending the better part of a decade singing in ensembles, first with
Lionel Hampton and then with New Orleans bandleader
Paul Gayten,
Scott was poised to make a name for himself as a solo artist. These dozen songs, executed with a small jazz combo supporting him (including
Charles Mingus on bass), find
Scott in beautiful voice, confidently investing himself in well-chosen covers as well as some of his own great originals. From the opening number ("Imagination"), it's clear that you're hearing a rare and expressive voice. Here he sounds every bit as romantic and inventive as he continued to be decades later. ~ Rovi Staff