A Time in My Life

One of the most respected vocalists in popular music generally and in jazz specifically, Sarah Vaughan’s A Time In My Life from 1971 was a break from her usual material and style, consisting of covers of contemporary rock, soul and pop songs rather than jazz standards, played by a crack team of top players, with a expansive, sumptuous soul/R’n’B feel to much of the album. Highlights include Vaughan’s superb take on Marvin Gaye’s Inner City Blues which became an underground dancefloor classic and was key to the albums’ rediscovery years after it was released, while her version of Brain Auger’s Tomorrow City is smooth, warm, with all the rough edges from the original replaced with her characteristic soft focus, gently swaying, expert vocal restraint. Unsurprisingly, her vocal throughout is flawless, soaring on Lennon’s Imagine and soothing on John Lovin’ Spoonful Sebastian’s Magical Connection. The pairing of one of the world’s most distinctive voices with contemporary songs and often very funky arrangements, interspersed with delicate balladry, make for if not her great lost album then certainly a beguiling and overlooked musical anomaly in Sarah Vaughan’s catalogue.