NEW RELEASES

ABBEY LINCOLN

“Devil’s Got Your Tongue”

Verve

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All but two of the 11 songs here were written by Lincoln, mostly in the 1970s. Some have autobiographical overtones: “Story of My Father” and “Evalina Coffey” were dedicated to her parents.

Lincoln’s lyrics sometimes involve colorful imagery; at given moments they are poetic, cryptic or simplistic, with melodies that are mainly functional adjuncts.

On five cuts vocal groups are used--a large children’s choir on three, the Staple Singers Trio on two. The collaboration would have worked better were it not for the fact that Lincoln and the backup singers are not always in sync.

“Jungle Queen” is a maverick track, with the singer using parlando--singing in a speech-like manner--and accompanied by an African drum team. The numbers that employ jazz horn players--J.J. Johnson on trombone and/or Stanley Turrentine on tenor sax--come off well. On one of the two non-Lincoln tunes, “Spring Will Be a Little Late This Year,” Johnson’s solo is the highlight, but Lincoln seems to be straining less than she does on the more elaborate performances. Rodney Kendrick’s piano is admirable throughout.

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to four (excellent).