Joe was in good voice then and, being younger then, sang higher then, though just as bluesfully. Indeed, one testament to the greatness of this endeavor is that the Smithsonian Institution, when gathering definitive recordings of the American Popular song, selected two from this session, Come Rain or Come Shine and I'm Beginning to See the Light - the latter an Ellington classic that became a Basie classic. Joe Williams, in his 30's then, is now in his 70's and sounds even better, his voice now darker and all the more magisterial, especially on his newest Verve recordings, Every Night and In Good Company. Yet even now, as always, Joe Williams (and every singer) sounds best with the perpetual motion machine.
