Rachael Price - Dedicated To You (2008)

Listening to Dedicated to You, it is hard to believe the singer is only sixteen years old. Crooning with a fullness of tone and maturity of expression that belies her age, Price's debut recording is the harbinger of a major new talent on the jazz horizon. When Kathryn Grayson first heard Price - at the time a high school student in Tennessee - the star of MGM Musical fame exuded [she's] the best young voice I've heard, period. No one around can even touch her voice and style a style all her own. Yet, the astute listener can certainly detect the influences which legendary vocalists have had on this young song stylist. Unmistakable shades of Ella in You Took Advantage of Me and Everything I've Got; more than a touch of Doris in Tea for Two; and at various times we feel the spirit of Sarah, Anita, June and Nat - each of whom Price admits to having avidly listened since she was a small child. With growing fan enthusiasm for Price on the touring circuit, and the release of other more recent recordings, it is welcome news to note that Clarie Vision Productions has chosen to re-release this classic debut CD, which has heretofore not always been easily available.