Once it became clear to
Timi Yuro that Liberty Records had no idea what to do with her extraordinarily gifts, she jumped ship, issuing her lone Mercury album,
The Amazing Timi Yuro, in 1964. Produced by
Quincy Jones and arranged by
Bobby Scott, the album is lush and dreamily romantic, a collection of standards some distance removed from the lean R&B of early hits like "Hurt." If anything, the material is a little too sophisticated for its own good, as the emotional restraint of the lyrics effectively straitjackets the stunning poignancy of
Yuro's booming vocals. She nevertheless delivers each syllable with absolute sincerity and conviction. Universal's 2005 CD reissue doubles the original LP's 12 cuts via rare singles, B-sides, and all four Italian-language songs recorded for the 1965 San Remo Festival. The results are erratic, but the most potent performances, like the
Teddy Randazzo-penned Northern soul favorite "Can't Stop Running Away," the devastating ballad "Just a Ribbon," and a bluesy, ballsy cover of
Johnny "Guitar" Watson's "Cuttin' In," rank alongside
Yuro's Liberty classics. ~ Jason Ankeny