Here I Am

Here I Am, released by Scepter Records in 1966, was Dionne Warwick's fifth album. Its first two singles, the title track and "Looking With My Eyes," failed to chart on the top 40. The third single, "Are You There (With Another Girl)," one of my very favorite Dionne songs, charted at #39. Despite her modest chart positions, however, Dionne Warwick made a huge impact singing the songs of Burt Bacharach and Hal David. She brought a classy approach to sophisticated popular music during the 1960s and performed Bacharach's complex tunes gracefully, marking the high-point of her own, Bacharach's and David's careers. "Adult Contemporary" may be a contemptuous genre in general, but Dionne offered it a soul major record labels quickly sold off for higher Billboard ratings.

Here I Am in particular achieved a sophistication many of her more pop-oriented albums did not, although her singing remained consistently powerful and naunced throughout the Scepter years. Not to say I prefer this album to her others. Anyone Who Had A Heart is probably my favorite, with its perfect balance between girl-group pop and Brill Building professionalism. It's just that Here I Am seems like an appropriate place to start this blog. Here I am, blogosphere, with my first post. Dionne has been formative in my life, and she'll be formative to this blog. I hope that what follows can live up to this wonderful recording.

See comments for link to the music.

Tracks:

1. "In Between the Heartaches"
   
2. "Here I Am"
3. "If I Ever Make You Cry"
4. "Looking with My Eyes"
   
5. "Once in a Lifetime"
   
6. "This Little Light"
   
7. "Don't Go Breaking My Heart"
8. "Window Wishing"
9. "Long Day, Short Night"
   
10. "Are You There (With Another Girl)"
    
11. "How Can I Hurt You?"
12. "I Loves You, Porgy"