Up until 1959,
Dinah Washington was able to excel in every musical setting that she found herself. A strong jazz/blues vocalist who had many R&B hits,
Washington always sounded confident and soulful even when backed by studio orchestras. However after her February 19, 1959 recording of "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes" became a major hit and she gained fame,
Washington stuck to safely commercial pop music. Even when she was singing superior songs during the 1959-1963 period, she was always backed by large orchestras outfitted with extremely commercial charts better suited to country-pop stars. The sixth in Mercury's series of three-CD sets starts with the February 19 session and covers 21 months in
Washington's career. ~ Scott Yanow