Once Over Lightly

AMG Review of Once Over Lightly

Stephen Cook
All Music Guide

During the immediate postwar years, singer Jo Stafford rose to fame as both a member of Tommy Dorsey's band and as a solo act. Part of a loose sorority of pop-jazz vocalists that also included Kay Starr, June Christy, and Julie London, Stafford excelled at both swingers and allads using her patented smooth pipes. On this mid-'50s outing, she's joined by accordionist Art Van Damme and His Quintet. Covering a ballad and mid-tempo mix of standards, Stafford especially excels on "Almost Like Being in Love," "One for My Baby," and "But Not for Me." While not in the same league of contemporary work by Christy and London, Once Over Lightly still fits in well with the many cocktail vocal offerings from the '50s.