“WHERE THE MUSIC COMES FROM (AMERICAN SONGS).”...

“WHERE THE MUSIC COMES FROM (AMERICAN SONGS).” Cynthia Haymon; Warren Jones, pianist. Argo 436 117-2. Haymon, a young American soprano, is building an impressive career in England these days, but she has apparently not forgotten her roots. In this splendidly realized release she has chosen 20 songs by 12 American composers. Her voice is light and brightly colored, a bit weak in the low range but warm in the middle and shimmeringly free at the top.

Her enunciation is impeccable and her projection of the texts affecting, particularly in such a witty song as Dougherty’s “Love in the Dictionary,” the narcissistic “See How They Love Me” and “Early in the Morning” of Rorem, the somberness of Burleigh’s “Till I Wake,” the pathos of Lekberg’s “The Spring and the Fall” and the pathetic disguised hysteria of Hundley’s “Come Ready and See Me.” Jones’ long experience in this repertory makes him a partner rather than a mere accompanist.