The Lass with the Delicate Air is the fourth solo studio album by English actress and singer Julie Andrews, released by RCA Victor. It was released in mono in 1957, with a stereo edition following in 1958. The album features a collection of English ballads and British folk songs, including "Canterbury Fair" and "Where'er You Walk". The latter held particular significance for Andrews, as it was part of her childhood repertoire with her stepfather.[1]
The album was arranged and conducted by Irwin Kostal, marking the beginning of an extended collaboration between him and Andrews. Kostal later worked as the arranger and conductor for the films Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music. Andrews recalled that at the time of the recording, she appeared so young that she had difficulty hailing a taxi and had to walk to the recording session in the pouring rain.[2]
The album was released the same year Andrews received a nomination at the 10th Primetime Emmy Awards for her role in the television musical adaptation of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella.[3] The singer later reflected that RCA had hoped she would choose more popular songs for the album, but she was determined to record these selections, believing that such minor classics would become more challenging for her to sing in the future.[2]
In 1966, when the artist was at the peak of her career with her film productions Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music, RCA of Australia declared "May Is Julie Andrews Month" and launched a promotional campaign featuring four albums by the beloved star: The Lass with the Delicate Air, Rose Marie, The Boy Friend, and Julie Andrews Sings.[4]
The reviews of Julie Andrews' debut solo album, The Lass with the Delicate Air, generally highlight her charming voice and the nostalgic selection of English folk and art songs. AllMusic's critic William Ruhlmann praised Andrews for her appealing voice and the tasteful arrangements by Irwin Kostal, noting that the album showcased a different side of her talent beyond her Broadway fame.[5] Similarly, the Sunday Herald appreciated the "charming numbers", particularly "London Pride" and "The Floral Dance", though it humorously criticized the mislabeling of Handel's aria "Where’er You Walk" as a ballad.[6] In favorable review Cash Box magazine's music critical wrote that Andrews "displays her beautiful vocal abilities on an array of tunes, many of which are traditional British selections".[7]
Harold Patton from the Calgary Herald offered a more mixed review, acknowledging Andrews' technical and emotional proficiency in songs like "Pedro, the Fisherman" but critiquing her attempt at "Where’er You Walk" as being out of her range.[8] This contrasts with the Ottawa Citizen, which lauded her clarity of tone and charm across the album, including the same aria.[9] The journal The Age emphasized the simplicity and sincerity of Andrews' performance, suggesting that her personal choice of songs added to the album's appeal.[10] Other reviews include that of the Star-News newspaper whose reviewer mentioned favorably the album briefly, and the unfavorable one by John S. Wilson from The New York Times who wrote that the results of the album seemed "too prim and proper for the material," suggesting that Andrews' interpretation did not fit well with the folk repertoire.[11][12]
Comercial performance
Although Cash Box magazine said in its review of the album that the "disk should get wide dee-jay and sales play",[7] according to Robert Windeler, writer of Julie Andrews — A Biography, Andrews's solo albums released between the late 1950s and early 1960s, like The Lass with the Delicate Air, did not charted, which prevented her from making more albums later on.[13]
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