Pat Kirby - What Is This Thing Called Love (1956)

Best remembered for her stint on Steve Allen's landmark NBC variety show Tonight, singer Pat Kirby also cut this lone Decca LP before retiring from show biz to raise a family. Its prim-and-proper schoolmarm cover photo to the contrary, What Is This Thing Called Love? boasts a kittenish appeal that's utterly intoxicating no great stylist, Kirby nevertheless eschews clichés and histrionics, favoring a sweetly sexy approach that works beautifully in tandem with arranger Ralph Burns' subtly elegant strings. Familiar songs like "I Fall in Love Too Easily" and "Like Someone in Love" possess style and sass to spare.