by Scott Yanow
Johnny Hartman gained posthumous fame as one of the warmest ballad singers of this century, and his deep baritone voice is well showcased on this 1958 date, which emphasizes slower tempos with a couple of exceptions (&Sunday& and &After You've Gone&). Accompanied by a subtle orchestra arranged by Rudy Traylor (the personnel is unknown), Hartman is in such fine form that it seems sad that this obscure effort was his only studio date of the 1957-62 period. Highlights of the brief (33-minute) set include &To Each His Own,& &Little Girl Blue& and &There's a Lull In My Life.&