Claudine Longet - The Look Of Love (1967)

The Look of Love remains the creative zenith of Claudine Longet's A&M tenure. Arranger Nick DeCaro and producer Tommy LiPuma weave together elements of soft pop, jazz, and bossa nova to create a fairy-dust suite perfectly modulated to Longet's breathy allure, rendering moot her obvious vocal limitations via the perfect combination of singer, songs, and sound. Material like the Brill Building gem "I Love How You Love Me," Margo Guryan's "Think of Rain," and the Bacharach/David title cut envelop Longet in a potently romantic atmosphere that underscores the innocence and intimacy so central to her identity. Rarely have albums forged from so little yielded so much. -- Jason Ankeny