This classic set, originally cut for the Choice label, presents a program of ballads exquisitely interpreted by singer Irene Kral and pianist Alan Broadbent. This is a haunting program, Irene Kral's best; it sticks in one's memory long afterwards and can be considered one of the finest sets of ballads ever recorded. Essential music. Scott Yanow/AMG This was sort of a comeback album for Irene in the mid-70s after being away from recording for quite some time. It's probably an understatement to say that these are the most exquisite and heartfelt performances ever put on record by a jazz or pop vocalist. It's a tour of the human soul, as laid out by these eleven perfect songs, delivered in Irene's down to earth, honey-smooth vocals, beautifully supported by Alan Broadbent's tasteful and understated accompaniment.

This reissue is the ultimate example of the human voice as the most beautiful instrument in existence, and as Carmen McRae so clearly put it in the liner notes, a must-have for anyone who loves beauty. Irene, you are sorely missed. O. Diaz Like very, very few albums, Kind of Blue among them, Where is Love ? exists on a separate plane. It is so devoid of sentimentality and filled with purity of tone and authentic emotion that it's difficult to imagine it not enduring as long as music is listened to, and at the same time difficult to listen to without tears welling up in your eyes Alan Broadbent gets less attention in discussions of this album, perhaps because he didn't die so tragically young, but he is as much a part of this recording as Bill Evans is a pillar of Kind of Blue. One of the most delicious things about this recording, though it's unfair to be elitist, is that so few people even know Irene or this album. That and Irene's impending death at the time of its conception put it in a place of its own as one of music's perfect achievements. H. Kennedy Personnel : Irene Kral, vocals, Alan Broadbent, piano.