Jimmy Scott Doesn't Love Mean More? LP

Jimmy Scott's distinct high register, contralto voice has been heard in David Lynch's Twin Peaks, and on the turntables of his fans Billie Holiday, Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye, Madonna and more. Recorded in 1990, and previously only available directly from Jimmy at his shows, this album finally gets its due! Newly remastered and featuring a booklet chock full of photos and liner notes!

For a while, Jimmy was everywhere: performing on the final episode of Twin Peaks' initial run, and at the wedding of superfans Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin; attending the GRAMMYs when another one of his albums, All the Way, was nominated for Best Jazz Vocal Performance; singing at Bill Clinton's 1993 inaugural ball and on the soundtrack of huge 1994 film Philadelphia; appearing in the Ethan Hawke-directed Chelsea Walls alongside the likes of Uma Thurman and Kris Kristofferson, and in a video for Madonna, who described him as "the only singer who makes me cry."

In Doesn't Love Mean More? you can hear why Jimmy evokes such strong emotion from listeners. Like a doting parent with a newborn infant, Scott cradles and caresses each note with emotional intention. Having learned bebop from the best as a young man, he was a master at subverting the tyranny of beats and bar lines, elongating or shortening his notes as his muse demanded. His phrasing was so advanced and exploratory that it could make others fearful, but every melody was under expert control.

The title track of this album underscores the singer's storytelling gift and vocal ability by evoking such intense emotion that listeners feel just as if not more invested. Scott's ability to give a tune the impact of a Shakespearean soliloquy eventually inspired Lou Reed to declare, "It's like seeing Hamlet or Macbeth all rolled up into a song."