Wordsongs (1988)

"With a multi-octave voice similar to Betty Carter's, incredible scatting ability, and ease of transition from a throaty whisper to high-pitched trills, Cleo Laine was born in 1927 in the Southall section of London, the daughter of a Jamaican father and English mother. With Dankworth by her side, Laine began her solo career in earnest with a 1964 album of Shakespeare lyrics set to Dankworth's arrangements, Shakespeare: And All That Jazz. Wordsongs is an ambitious project, geared toward fans who enjoy poetry and are willing to accept concept works that aren't normal fare. Laine did 30 numbers set to poems by such classic writers as Auden, Shakespeare, and Donne. Several had been previously featured in a work titled Shakespeare And All That Jazz. John Dankworth added instrumental accompaniment." (Allmusic)