Barbara Cook - No One Is Alone (2007)

Barbara Cook, a Broadway star in the 1950s and '60s and one of the major cabaret singers since the '70s, was nearing 80 when she recorded No One Is Alone. Her very clear and friendly voice, however, could easily pass for someone's half her age. Accompanied by a drumless rhythm section, she performs 15 songs (including a pair of two-song medleys) that debuted in Broadway shows. Her voice is strong, highly expressive and unwavering, doing justice to the lyrics and the songwriters' original conceptions without adding that much of her own personality. She presents the songs as if they were being sung on Broadway, interpreting them very straight like the best cabaret singers, swinging lightly when it is called for and sticking to the words and the melodies. A slight change of pace is offered on the final selection, "Make Our Garden Grow," which has her joined by the 16-voice "Virtuoso Singers." Barbara Cook's fans will want No One Is Alone, a fine recital by the apparently ageless singer.