CD Music Shop

Offering a typically eclectic mix of standards and originals, Over The Years ranks among Lincoln's finest albums. As is the case with some other singers of her generation that achieved veteran status in the 1990s (I'm mainly thinking about Carmen McRae and Ernestine Anderson), Lincoln's art became increasingly subtle with age. By the year 2000, when 'Over The Years' was recorded, her interpretive skills had reached a peak; there is a compelling intimacy about her voice, a conversational tone that makes each and every one of her recordings a special event. Lincoln's voice is no longer the powerful instrument of her youth, nor are the earlier blasts of fury (reflecting the turbulent moods of the 1960s) called for; instead we get ample warmth and an assuring sense of world-weary wisdom. The latter distinguishes her ballads above all, while the more up-beat songs express a vital enthusiasm. A recent gig at the Blue Note in New York showed us that Lincoln still means business: well into her seventies, her stage persona combines the "matriarchal" poise of a respected elder with the laid-back coolness of a hipster.

Like the idol of her youth Billie Holiday, Abbey Lincoln always means the lyrics she sings. 'Over the years', with its many highlights, is a case in point. Lincoln's reworking of 'Lucky To Be Me' (from the 1944 Broadway show On The Town) is packed with gentle conviction; 'Blackberry Blossoms' is a traditional ditty with an arresting, folksy charm. 'Somos Novios', sung in Spanish, is pure, tingling romance, while Michel Legrand's classic 'Windmills of Your Mind' receives a dynamic, soaring reading. 'I'm Not Supposed To Know' is another original graced by the uplifting Lincoln touch. The album ends with an a cappella rendition of 'Tender As A Rose', a song Lincoln first recorded back in 1958. Sweet and simple, pure earthy emotion, this is Abbey Lincoln at her best. As in all Lincoln sets, the musicians are top notch, and the lady gives her hand-picked players plenty of room to shine.