Fabulous Friday: Della Reese
- ladiesvoices
- 12 minutes ago
- 2 min read
I think lots of people my age (if they think of Della Reese at all) think of Della Reese as the costar of Touched By An Angel. I never watched that show - - I think of Reese as a singer.
I am CRAZY (and I mean crazy) for her album Della Della Cha Cha Cha. "Daddy" is my favorite song on that album. I don't think I've heard anyone else sing it and frankly don't want to. The squeak she adds at the end of the word "daddy" sends me straight to the moon.
This is also pretty amazing:
She's big on what we singers call a shadow vowel, a vowel that you put after a consonant to give the end of the word a bit more definition and kick. In Reesese she sings this:
Day will break
And-a I'll awake
And-a start to bake
A sugar cake-a For you to take-a
For all the boyuzz to see
Yes, she turns the word "boys" into a two-syllable word, "boyuzz." No extra charge.
I'll close with a video showing Miss Reese in person. It's always nice to watch something, don't you agree? Here she is on Ed Sullivan singing "You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You." It's fascinating watching her work her jaw. She seems to pull her lower jaw back now and then which gives her sound a peculiar phonation. Not a bad one, just peculiar.
What do you suppose happened to that dress...?
PS: I did a little research on the song "Daddy" and saw that it was written by Bobby Troup so obviously it must have been recorded by his wife, Julie London. Sure enough it was. Here's London lip-synching to her recording - - as you'd imagine it's more kittenish than Reese who is full panther.
Who on earth would lounge around the house in that getup. And the heart-shaped mirror! I can't, I just can't.
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