Over the Years

1	When the Lights Go on Again 5:52
2	Blackberry Blossoms 4:08
3	Somos Novios 6:11
4	A Heart Is Not a Toy 4:13
5	I Could Sing It for a Song 4:20
6	I'm Not Supposed to Know 3:58
7	Windmills of Your Mind 5:02
8	Lucky to Be Me 7:30
9	What Will Tomorrow Bring 6:26
10	Tender as a Rose 3:17

Barnes & Noble

Every syllable that Abbey Lincoln sings is imbued with the wisdom of a life well considered. Lincoln's is the voice of the indomitable spirit, the force that lets us look at the vicissitudes of life and keep on keeping on. But this ageless diva also celebrates the joys of existence with an unaffected passion that few can muster. One of the few jazz vocalists who also compose, Lincoln has filled Over the Years with heartfelt originals ("I'm Not Supposed to Know," "What Will Tomorrow Bring," "A Heart Is Not a Toy"), as well as such cannily chosen material by Michel Legrand, Leonard Bernstein, and others. (Lincoln even slips in a Spanish-language version of the ballad "It's Impossible," known here as "Somos Novio.") Saxophonist Joe Lovano brings his exceptional taste and technique to perfectly suited solos and obbligato on six of the ten selections; while Jerry Gonzalez's Miles Davis-tinged trumpet enlivens two performances. Lincoln has been on a late career roll since the late 1980s, Over the Years proves that it's far from petering out. William Pearl

All Music Guide

Recorded mostly in New York, Over the Years is aimed at summing up Abbey Lincoln's long career. Joining her are excellent, but not so well-known performers, plus the giant sax player Joe Lovano. But it is Lincoln's special interpretative powers that carry the day, as one would expect. The play list is rather unusual even for an iconoclast like Lincoln. There are tunes from the 1940s, traditional material, some romantic standards, and her own compositions. "Lucky to Be Me," from the musical On the Town, features some ear-catching work by the rhythm section of Brandon McCune, John Ormond, and Jaz Sawyer. Another fine track is the traditional "Blackberry Blossoms" to which Lincoln has added her own lyrics. She is ably supported on this cut by guest tenor player Joe Lovano and guest guitarist Kendra Shank, who is also a singer of note. The album's coda is appropriate as Lincoln sings "Tender As a Rose" a cappella, letting her vocal chords stand on their own without benefit of instrumental accompaniment as she ends it with "as that's the way the story goes." Dave Nathan