Cole Porter's songs have a unique charm. Whether conveying the bantering, urbane wit of "I Get a Kick out of You" or the affecting depths of sentiment in "Every Time We Say Goodbye," his lyrics are matched to his melodies with a conversational ease. No matter how hard Porter might have worked at those effects, his efforts are invisible. That seeming nonchalance is conveyed magnificently here by a complement of wonderful singers, including Sarah Vaughan, Betty Carter, and Shirley Horn. Drawn largely from Verve's immense store of 1950s and 1960s recordings, the CD presents some ideal matches of singer and song, from the rhythmic vitality of Louis Armstrong's "Let's Do It" to the glorious depths of Billy Eckstine's "In the Still of the Night." --Stuart Broomer
