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James Fisher
GARY A GALO(EDITOR)
Naxos Nostalgia, 8.120800. (1 CD).
Pop music vocalists are an acquired taste; each offer an individual sound and performing style that may please some, but not all. The more unique the voice and style of a singer, the more likely an audience will be polarized. Few performers have had as polarizing an effect as Eartha Kitt. Even fewer have succeeded in virtually every performance medium, from Broadway and nightclubs to film, television, and recordings. More entertainer than singer, Kitt is a dynamic, stylish package requiring an audience to see her live and in person. Despite this, Kitt's over fifty years as a recording artist have brought her loyal listeners attracted to the catlike seductive stylings that won her the description sex kitten. Kitt encouraged the feline identification by starring as Mehitabel in the 1957 musical Shinebone Alley and via her occasional appearances playing Catwoman on the campy 1960s Batman television series.How she missed a turn in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats is hard to imagine, but her slinky elegance otherwise won her a permanent and unique niche in the show business pantheon.
Kitt is a powerhouse performer whose languid physical movements and gestures, borne out of her early roots in dance with choreographer Katherine Dunham, along with her astute fashion sense and that indefinable electricity between artist and audience, contribute significantly to her appeal. Subtracting the visual element undercuts her overall impact, but this is somewhat ameliorated by the uniqueness of her voice and her singular interpretive skill. However, for those who have seen her live the Kitt of audio recordings is a lesser Kitt.
That said, it must be noted that Kitt is able to make the most of her...