AMG Review of Waiter, Make Mine Blues

Jason Ankeny
All Music Guide

Waiter, Make Mine Blues pairs Anita O'Day with arranger Russ Garcia, whose delightful and imaginative treatments perfectly complement the singer's lithe vocals. West Coast greats including Barney Kessel and Bud Shank are also on hand to lend the session an even lighter, sweeter tone that couches the melancholy the album's title portends -- songs like "The Thrill Is Gone" and "When Sunny Gets Blue" capture O'Day at her most affecting, balancing her trademark sophistication with the world-weary resignation of one who has loved and lost.