Blues Cross Country is a 1962studio album by the American singer and songwriterPeggy Lee, principally arranged byQuincy Jones, with some arrangements byBenny Carter. The album can be described as aconcept album, consisting of a musical journey across the United States through swinging blues songs, many of which were written by Lee with other contributors.[1]
Blues Cross Country was the second of Lee's two albums featuring arrangements by Jones. He had also arranged her previous studio album,If You Go (1961).
Blues Cross Country received good reviews at the time of its release from bothBillboard magazine in March 1962, andTime magazine in May 1962.[citation needed]Billboard wrote that "Peggy's back, and this time in a blues mood—with sad blues, happy blues and swinging blues. She sings them in her own delightful style aided muchly by the finearrangements of ork [sic] leader Quincy Jones. ... The album's a gas".[2]
TheAllMusic review by William Ruhlmann awarded the album four stars and commented that "Though Jones' arrangements are often a touch brassier than the blues standards can handle, Lee contributes just the right blend of vigor and feeling to the songs"[1]
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