Patti Austin - The Real Me (1988) Vinyl LP • Cry Me A River, Jazz R&B

Catalog Number: 9-25696-1

Record Grading: Near Mint (NM or M-), Sleeve Grading: Excellent (EX)

Condition Details:

Vinyl plays nicely (play-graded). Cover has a few creases near edges; scuffing (front/back). Inner-sleeve is original (Lyrics/credits/picture); two seams partially split. Spine is easy-to-read with mild-wear. Minor shelf-wear along top-edge, heavier across bottom-edge. Wear to corners. Opening is crisp with signs of light use and divots. (Not a cut-out.)

Tracks:

• I Can Cook Too
• Stockholm Sweetnin
• Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
• True Love
• Across The Alley From The Alamo
• How Long Has This Been Going On?
• Lazy Afternoon
• Love Letters
• They Can't Take That Away From Me
• Mood Indigo
• Cry Me A River
• Someone Is Standing Outside

About The Record:

The Real Me by Patti Austin is a sophisticated collection of jazz and pop standards where the Grammy-winning vocalist boldly reinterprets classics associated with legendary singers such as Peggy Lee, Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, and Nina Simone. A unique highlight is Austin’s daring choice to tackle songs forever tied to those icons—including How Do You Keep the Music Playing?, The Island, and Smoke Gets in Your Eyes—while adding her own contemporary R&B flair and scat-infused improvisations. The album features her stunning piano-and-vocal-only rendition of Cry Me a River and a playful, uptempo swing version of They Can’t Take That Away from Me that fans particularly cherish. Historically significant as one of the few modern attempts by a soul/R&B artist to record an entire album of Great American Songbook material with a big-band jazz approach, it remains a favorite among vocal-jazz enthusiasts. The lushly orchestrated The Real Me (title track) and the tender How Do You Keep the Music Playing? are often cited as standout moments.