Like a gifted actress, Sarah Vaughan always makes lyrics come alive, whether on poignant ballads or buoyant pop novelties. Vaughan "plays" her voice as if it is a "real" instrument, and on this 1955 marvel, she is matched with musicians of an equally high caliber. On "Lullaby of Birdland," she trades harmonically advanced scat lines with Herbie Mann, Paul Quinichette, and Clifford Brown. Vaughan is hauntingly romantic and Brown is at his most lyrical on "September Song."