Lesley Gore

I'll Cry if I Want to - Mercury 1963

Tracks: 1. It's My Party / 2. Cry Me a River / 3. Cry / 4. Just Let Me Cry / 5. Cry and You Cry Alone / 6. No More Tears / 7. Judy's Turn to Cry / 8. I Understand / 9. I Would / 10. Misty / 11. What Kind of Fool Am I / 12. The Party's Over

Comments:

I bought this album because of the irresistible 1963 hit "It's My Party". Lesley Gore has a nice voice, somewhat similar to a lot of other female pop-singers from the early 1960s.

It's a debut album, Gore was just 17 when she broke through with "It's My Party", and the album was probably rushed out to meet the market's demand for more.

Although there are several pretty nice pop recordings, none can really match the hit. The sequel "Judy's Turn to Cry" did, however, with a 5th place, do well on the charts, and otherwise I would highlight "The Party's Over", "I Would" and "No More Tears" as quite fine and charming pop songs. Gore’s version of Arthur Hamilton's "Cry Me a River" is also good.

Interesting that the album was produced by Quincy Jones, who at this poing was a young man of thirty. He produced most of Lesley Gore’s 1960’s recordings, and I may well do some further exploring in her early albums.

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