A few years after a little-known debut live album, the future Queen of Soul signed with Columbia and entered the studio for the first time with pianist Ray Bryant and his band. Produced by John H. Hammond, this calling-card album introduced the 18-year-old performer who would later come to embody soul music. Here, she tackles pop standards ("Over The Rainbow," "It Ain't Necessarily So"), demonstrating that her label was searching for a direction for her. THE voice, however, was already there.