CD released: Sep 16, 2016
LITA ROZA WITH THE BILL SHEPHERD ORCHESTRA
ME ON A CAROUSEL
2016 collection. Liverpool's first pop star, long before the Beatles or Cilla Black, the first British female singer to top the charts. Inheriting her exotic good looks from her Spanish ancestry, Lita Roza's real talent was as a sultry and sophisticated interpreter of romantic ballads; a British Julie London with a touch of Astrud Gilberto. A singer of integrity, an artist ahead of her time. A strong woman who could be outspoken in defense of her craft, Lita was a fiercely independent artist who emerged a decade too early. Word of her abilities reached Decca where she spent the greater part of the decade recording singles in a quite mesmerizing array of styles (ballads from the Great American Songbook, Western themes, hits of stage and screen and even some reluctant rock 'n' roll); before making a fresh start over at Pye. Our edition comprises Lita's much admired 1958 debut LP for Pye, Me On A Carousel, combined with selections from the sublime Love Songs for Night People, which she recorded for Ember in 1963; 'Love Is A Beautiful Stranger' from The Ginger Rogers film, Twist of Fate, 'Leave Me Alone', which Lita performs in Cast A Dark Shadow and a handful of her personal favorite Decca singles. |
