Today, Tomorrow, Forever in Bloomington, MN

On
Today, Tomorrow, Forever
,
Nancy Wilson
lights up a set of the usual mid-'60s pop standards:
"One Note Samba,"
"I Left My Heart in San Francisco,"
"Wives and Lovers,"
"Our Day Will Come,"
and
"On Broadway,"
among others. They're all good choices for her breathy voice and occasional improvisations, especially
"One Note Samba"
"Wives and Lovers."
On them,
Wilson
plays with the notes and rhythm, making a pair of lighthearted songs even more playful and irresistible than they had been previously. The arrangements (by her husband,
Kenny Dennis
) are less reliable, however. Most are sympathetic and unobtrusive (as they should be), but a few are reliant on goofy organ leads that don't quite mesh with
's voice -- and were probably inserted merely for commercial reasons. On the songs where it's possible to focus just on
's voice, she's simply enchanting. Considering the dozens of traditional jazz-based singers unfamiliar with their place in the middle of the turbulent '60s,
is an accomplished album that sounds almost effortless. [A 1999 two-fer reissue by
Capitol
/
EMI
paired
with
's 1966 LP
A Touch of Today
.] ~ John Bush