Unjustly overlooked these days, at one time Jeri Southern was the vocal belle of the ball. She didn’t’ have a lot of chops, but she knew how to milk a mood, and her favorite one was located at Desolation Blvd. No one played the jilted and lonely girl like Southern. Her biggest hit, “You Better Go Now” includes all her strengths; understatement with vulnerability and a lilting pulse in both her voice and on her piano that sounds like she’s just about to fade into the shadows.
Here, she is caught in Chicago with a sympathetic team of Al Bruno/b and Dominic Simonetta/dr. Almost all of the songs are about disastrous relationships, ranging from being the”other” woman in “I’m In Love With The Honorable Mr. So and So” to being the victim of the “other” woman in”Miss Johnson Phoned Again Today.” She just knows how to pick ‘em!
Her vocal delivery and style is like an audible blue period Monet; lots of pastels and you detect different things depending on your distance and perspective. She shows her impressive piano skills on “Too Late Now” as well as “ I Hadn’t Anyone Till You” and stands in front of the audience in total heart on sleeve during an unaccompanied vocal of “Scarlet Ribbons.” Yes, she can be upbeat and optimistic as on “Too Marvelous For Words” and “It’s De-Lovely” but these are simply lighter chips on the deeply hued mosaic that is the intoxicating and irresistible Miss Southern. And she didn’t miss much!
Uptown Records