This came out in 1999 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
On her own, jazz vocalist Katharine Whalen isn’t exactly a household word. But perhaps you’ve heard of her day job: Singer for the retro-chic Squirrel Nut Zippers, whose renditions of ragtime classics feature her smoky, sophisticated vocals.
Here, Whalen steps into the solo spotlight (and, once again, back to the past) with this splendid set of Prohibition-era standards, backed by a zippy quintet of Zippers and friends. Listening to Whalen wrap her Lady (Present) Day pipes — she has the same nasal moan and catch in her voice as Billie Holiday — around classics like Deed I Do, My Old Flame, Now Or Never and My Baby Just Cares For Me is like a visit to a speakeasy. All you need is the bathtub gin.
