Chris Connor - I Walk with Music (2002)

There comes a point in each singer's life, at least anyone who lives to a decent age, where she or he has to decide whether it is time to stop recording. Virtually all vocalists (except for the remarkable Herb Jeffries) show their age in their voices and, once they hit their sixties and especially their seventies, they should ask themselves if they really want to be documented at that age. Chris Connor, who was at her peak in the 1950s, was 74 when she recorded I Walk With Music in 2002. Although her phrasing is still fine and her enthusiasm is high, her voice sounds very weathered and unreliable. She was wise to mostly pick songs for this set that only involve her using a small range but, despite some fine solos (particularly from Bill Easley on bass clarinet and guitarist Jack Wilkins), the decline in Chris Connor's voice makes this a difficult CD to recommend.~I Walk with Music Review by Scott Yanow