Nancy – Naturally is a studio album by Nancy Wilson released in 1966. Billy May served as the arranger and conductor, and David Cavanaugh produced the album. It entered the Billboard 200 on January 28, 1967, and remained on the chart for 21 weeks, peaking at No. 35. It reached #4 on the Hot R&B LPs chart. The song "In The Dark" was released as a single, with "Ten Years Of Tears" as the B-side.
Stephen Cook at AllMusic says, "Wilson displays all her talents" on Nancy – Naturally. "On the blues end of things, she turns the lights down low with a smoldering cover of Lil Green's classic 'In the Dark' and swings it hard and brass-heavy on the Joe Williams/Count Basie number 'Alright, Okay, You Win.' And for some of her patented ballad heaven, there are stunners like Michel Legrand's 'Watch What Happens' and Lil Armstrong's forlorn standard 'Just for a Thrill." Cook applauds Billy May's charts, saying the arranger was "adept with all the album's many moods" and concludes by stating that the record "may not be essential Wilson listening, but it still makes for a very enjoyable trip around the turntable."
Track listing
Side 1
"In The Dark" (Lil Green) – 2:35 "Ten Years Of Tears" (Vicki Harrington) – 2:31 "Since I Fell for You" (Buddy Johnson) – 3:10 "You Ain't Had The Blues" (Ronnell Bright, Rosebud Joiner) – 2:22 "Willow Weep For Me" (Ann Ronell) – 3:19 "My Babe" (Willie Dixon) – 2:07
Side 2
"Just For A Thrill" (Don Raye, Lil Armstrong) – 2:32 "Alright, Okay, You Win" (Mayme Watts, Sid Wyche) – 2:17 "I Wish I Didn't Love You So" (Frank Loesser) – 3:22 "Smack Dab In The Middle" (Charles E. Calhoun) – 2:00 "Watch What Happens" (Michel Legrand, Norman Gimbel) – 3:00 "Ain't That Lovin' You" (Deadric Malone) – 2:38
Personnel
Nancy Wilson – vocals Willie Smith – alto saxophone Wilbur Schwartz – saxophone Harry Klee – saxophone Justin Gordon – saxophone Charles Genty – saxophone Don Fagerquist – trumpet Tony Terran – trumpet Ray Triscari – trumpet John Audino – trumpet John Fowler – trumpet (2, 4, 9, 12) Tommy Pederson – trombone Lew McCreary – trombone Vernon Friley – trombone William Schaefer – trombone Francis Howard – trombone Ronnell Bright – piano Mike Melvoin – organ John Collins – guitar Herb Ellis – guitar (2, 4, 9, 12) Howard Roberts – guitar (except for 2, 4, 9, 12) Buster Williams – bass Charles Berghofer – bass Earl Palmer – drums Billy May – arranger, conductor David Cavanaugh – producer
From The Music of Billy May: A Discography (Greenwood Press, 1998).
References