Julie London – Julie Is Her Name Vol. 2 (Multichannel Hybrid-SACD, Analogue Productions)

Julie London was a pin-up girl, lascivious movie star and successful singer whose alto voice enchanted an entire generation. The actress had enormous success with Cry Me A River, a single from 1955. Three years after her debut album, London tried to repeat her first success with the same recipe. You can almost picture the cigar-smoking decision-makers at the Liberty Records label, rubbing their hands in anticipation of the tills ringing. Then again, if uptown singers like Johnny Mathis, Chet Baker and Sarah Vaughan made it big with the London jazz guitar/bass backing duo, why shouldn’t the inventor of the style produce a second album in the same vein?