Long before I was aware of wide-spread Wes Anderson ironic musical nostalgia, there was Katy and I driving around southern Maryland, listening to the Divas Exotica album and singing Teach Me Tiger at the top of our lungs.
Katy just had incredibly great taste at an early age (even for the 90s, an era of deep musical love and appreciation, she knew all the classics) and I was lucky enough to benefit from her knowledge.
My burned copies of Divas and the downloaded version I made a few years ago are still in frequent rotation in my playlists.
Sadly, Divas Exotica is out of print but I assembled its extreme excellence here for your end of week listening pleasure.
Let Me Entertain You – Ann-Margret
Don’t Touch My Tomatoes – Josephine Baker/Jo Bouillon
Near You – Marlene Dietrich
Teach Me Tiger – April Stevens
Je Me Donne A Qui Me Plait – Brigitte Bardot
Do Your Duty – Billie Holiday
Since Me Man Has Done Gone And Went – Maya Angelou
Go, Go, Calypso – Mamie Van Doren
Let’s Misbehave – Eartha Kitt
That Makes It – Jayne Mansfield
Jezebel – Edith Piaf
So Nice (Summer Samba) – Astrud Gilberto
Forbidden Fruit – Nina Simone
Heatwave – Marilyn Monroe
Goldfinger – Shirley Bassey
Mam Eu Quero (I Want My Mama) – Carmen Miranda
La Molina – Yma Sumac
Zoo Be Zoo Be Zoo – Sophia Loren
Feeling Good – Nina Simone
BONUS – Even More Nina!