Carmen McRae (1955 album)

Carmen McRae is a 1955 album by Jazz singer Carmen McRae. It was McRae's second album and was released on the Bethlehem label exclusively as 10" monoaural LP.^[2][3] The album was reissued on LP in 1976 as The Finest of Carmen McRae: You'd Be So Easy to Love, with an additional track, "Too Much in Love to Care".^[4] In 1994 Betlehem had digitally remastered the recordings and released a CD with six additional tracks, alternate takes of songs from the original sessions.^[5][6]

Carmen McRae
Studio album by Carmen McRae
Released	1955 (1955)
Recorded	October–December 1954[1]
Genre	Jazz
Length	36:11
Label	Bethlehem
Carmen McRae chronology
A Foggy Day with Carmen McRae (1953) Carmen McRae (1955) By Special Request (1955)

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[6]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[7]
The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide	[8]

Scott Yanow reviewed the album for Allmusic and wrote of it"Overall the music is pleasing but not too memorable and one wishes there were more variety".^[6]

Track listing

1. "You'd Be So Easy to Love" (Cole Porter) – 2:26
2. "If I'm Lucky (I'll Be the One)" (Chuck Darwin, Paulette Girard) – 3:17
3. "Old Devil Moon" (E.Y. "Yip" Harburg, Burton Lane) – 2:40
4. "Tip Toe Gently" (Mat Mathews, Girard) – 2:40
5. "You Made Me Care" (Darwin, Girard) – 2:09
6. "Last Time for Love" (Carmen McRae) – 3:05
7. "Misery" (Tony Scott) – 3:53
8. "Too Much in Love to Care" (Carroll Coates, James J. Kriegsmann) – 2:33

Alternate takes released on 1994 CD reissue

9. "Too Much in Love to Care" (Alternate take) – 3:19
10. "Old Devil Moon" (Alternate stereo) – 2:37
11. "You Made Me Care" (Alternate stereo) – 2:09
12. "Too Much in Love to Care" (Alternate stereo) – 2:20
13. "Last Time for Love" (Alternate stereo) – 3:03

Personnel

• Carmen McRae – vocals

Tracks 1–4

• Herbie Mann – flute, tenor saxophone
• Mat Mathews – accordion
• Mundell Lowe – guitar
• Wendell Marshall – double bass
• Kenny Clarke – drums

Tracks 5–8

• Tony Scott – clarinet, piano (on "Misery")
• Dick Katz – piano
• Skip Fawcett – double bass
• Osie Johnson – drums