''Moody'' is a

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

by American singer

Della Reese Della Reese (born Delloreese Patricia Early; July 6, 1931 – November 19, 2017) was an American singer, actress, television personality, author and ordained minister. As a singer, she recorded blues, gospel, jazz and pop. Several of her singl ...

. It was released in January 1965 by

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic ...

, and was the eleventh studio album in her career. The final studio LP Reese recorded for RCA, ''Moody'' contained 12 tracks of songs about heartbreak and loss. It received mostly positive reception from critics following its release.

Background, recording and content

Before becoming a television actress (notably on the TV series ''

Touched by an Angel ''Touched by an Angel'' is an American drama television series that premiered on CBS on September 21, 1994, and ran for 211 episodes over nine seasons until its conclusion on April 27, 2003. Created by John Masius and executive produced by Ma ...

''), Della Reese was an established singer and recording artist. She first was signed with

Jubilee Records Jubilee Records was an American independent record label, specializing in rhythm and blues and novelty records. It was founded in New York City in 1946 by Herb Abramson. His partner was Jerry Blaine. Blaine bought Abramson's half of the company ...

where she had a million-selling single in 1957 with "

And That Reminds Me "And That Reminds Me", also known as "My Heart Reminds Me", is a popular song. Background The music was based on the Italian instrumental, "Concerto d'autunno," by Camillo Bargoni. As "Autumn Concerto", it reached the Music Vendor pop survey in ve ...

". She then moved to RCA Victor where she had her greatest commercial success in 1959 with " Don't You Know?". She recorded a series of studio albums with RCA between 1959 and 1965, including ''Moody''. It was recorded at RCA Studio A, located in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. It was produced by the Hugo & Luigi recording team and featured arrangements by Glenn Osser. ''Moody'' consisted of 12 tracks all of which were story lines centered on heartbreak and loss. The album's

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or cassette j-cards. Origin Liner notes are descended from the prog ...

argue that while the songs are about despair, Reese's "rocking groove" could change listener's minds.

Release and critical reception

''Moody'' was released by the RCA Victor label in January 1965 and was the eleventh studio album in her music career. It was issued as a

vinyl LP The LP (from long playing or long play) is an analog sound storage medium, specifically a phonograph record format characterized by: a speed of rpm; a 12- or 10-inch (30- or 25-cm) diameter; use of the "microgroove" groove specificati ...

, offered in both mono and stereo formats. Six tracks were featured on each side of the LP. ''Moody'' would prove to be the final studio LP released by the RCA Victor label before Reese signed with ABC–

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. **Paramount Picture ...

later in 1965. The album was given mostly positive reviews by critics following its release. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' magazine wrote that, "Della tempers each love song with a touch of the blues for added effect and feeling". They further commented that the album felt "warm, romantic and sophisticated". '' Cue'' magazine believed Reese had "a voice to spare" but claimed that her performances were too dramatic. Meanwhile, Walt Friedwald of the book ''A Biographical Guide to the Great Jazz and Pop Singers'' praised it as a set "of exceptionally well-sung slow love songs".

Track listing

Personnel

All credits are adapted from the

of ''Moody''. * Michael Dupolix – Liner photo * Hugo & Luigi – Producer * Glenn Osser – Arrangement and conducting * Bob Simpson – Recording engineer

Release history

References

{{Della Reese 1965 albums Albums produced by Hugo & Luigi Albums arranged by Glenn Osser Albums conducted by Glenn Osser Della Reese albums RCA Victor albums