This is a hugely enjoyable 2CD set from Dinah Washington that brings together her collaborations with the conductor and arranger Don Costa, including her two 1962 Roulette albums In Love and Drinking Again. Best known for conducting and arranging several classic albums by Frank Sinatra, including Sinatra and Strings (also released in 1962), Costa's arrangements are never overbearing or cloying, and feature some ear-catching textural detail in their use of celeste, vibes and harp. Whether on the Harold Arlen/Ira Gershwin standard ‘The Man That Got Away’ or the Bessie Smith hit ‘Baby, Won't You Please Come Home’, Washington invests everything she sings with that singular gospel quality, packing an emotional punch that could cut through the weightiest orchestral chart. Bonus tracks include two complete sessions conducted by Fred Norman plus a real rarity, a fascinating run-through of a ballad medley featuring Washington in a trio setting with flautist Frank Wess and pianist Jack Wilson.