Love Is Here to Stay (feat. Harry Betts & His Orchestra)

This collection of ten songs comes from very late in Simms' career, recorded in December of 1960, years after she'd stopped performing. As such, it's a surprisingly strong body of work, alternating between swing and ballads: "I've Got You Under My Skin" gets a Latin-tinged arrangement and "Where or When" is done in a '40s swing style. Simms' voice had darkened from the days when she was singing on radio, which lends these songs a moodiness that they might not have had if she'd cut them in her prime; "Stormy Weather" certainly works better than one would've expected it to, and she's downright powerful on "Salt Lake City Blues." The sound is excellent, the original stereo master (engineered by Bones Howe) having held up well, imparting an imposing presence to Simms and the backing band, conducted by trombone player Harry Betts. Guitarist Tommy Tedesco benefits especially from the clean, sharp sound on this record, originally done for the low-priced Tops label.