''Presenting Dionne Warwick'' is the debut studio album by American singer

Dionne Warwick Marie Dionne Warwick ( ; born Marie Dionne Warrick; December 12, 1940) is an American singer, actress, and television host. During her career, Warwick has won many awards, including six Grammy Awards. She has been inducted into the Hollywood Wa ...

. It was released by

Scepter Records Scepter Records was an American record company founded in 1959 by Florence Greenberg. History Florence Greenberg founded Scepter Records from the $4,000 she received after she sold Tiara Records and the Shirelles to Decca Records. When the S ...

on April 10, 1963 in the United States. Composers

Burt Bacharach Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; May 12, 1928 – February 8, 2023) was an American composer, songwriter, record producer, and pianist who is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential figures of 20th-century popular music. Start ...

and

Hal David Harold Lane David (May 25, 1921 – September 1, 2012) was an American lyricist. He was best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach and his association with Dionne Warwick. Early life David was born and raised in New ...

provided three-quarters of the track listing, having met Warwick during the summer of 1961 at Bell Sound Studios when she was working as a background singer during the recording session for

The Drifters The Drifters are an American pop and R&B/soul vocal group. They were originally formed as a backing group for Clyde McPhatter, formerly the lead tenor of Billy Ward and his Dominoes in 1953. The second group of Drifters, formed in 1959 and ...

' minor hit "

Mexican Divorce In the mid-20th century, some Americans traveled to Mexico to obtain a "Mexican divorce". A divorce in Mexico was easier, quicker, and less expensive than a divorce in most U.S. states, which then only allowed at-fault divorces requiring extensive ...

" (1962). The songwriters would go on to become frequent collaborators on subsequent Warwick projects. ''Presenting Dionne Warwick'' peaked at number 14 on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...

and spawned the lead single " Don't Make Me Over" which reached number five on the US Hot R&B Singles chart and became a top-forty hit on several international charts.

Background

''Presenting Dionne Warwick'' is notable for including " Don't Make Me Over", Warwick's debut single, as well as " Wishin' & Hopin'", which would become a hit for

Dusty Springfield Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), better known by her stage name Dusty Springfield, was a British singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano voice, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, Pop mus ...

in 1964, "It's Love That Really Counts", which brought Warwick to the attention of Scepter owner Florence Greenberg, and " Make It Easy on Yourself". "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" features backing vocals by Dionne's sister

Dee Dee Warwick Delia Juanita Warrick (September 25, 1942 – October 18, 2008), known professionally as Dee Dee Warwick, was an American soul singer. Born in East Orange, New Jersey, she was the sister of singer Dionne Warwick, the niece of Cissy Houston, a ...

and

The Shirelles The Shirelles were an American girl group formed in Passaic, New Jersey, in 1957. They consisted of schoolmates Shirley Owens (later Shirley Alston Reeves), Doris Coley (later Doris Kenner-Jackson), Addie "Micki" Harris (later Addie Harris McF ...

. ''Presenting Dionne Warwick'' was digitally remastered and reissued on CD on May 15, 2007 by Collectors' Choice Music.

Critical reception

In the 21st century,

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

editor Lindsay Planer gave the album four stars out of five. She wrote:

Warwick's inviting voice was at the core of their successful working relationship, coupled with the undeniably unique and expertly crafted material, yielding a host of classics such as " Wishin' and Hopin'." The version here predates Dusty Springfield's rendering and was likewise much of the reason Springfield chose to cover it to begin with. Other seminal entries featured on Presenting Dionne Warwick are "Make It Easy on Yourself" and the lovelorn melancholy ballad "I Cry Alone," as well as the unique arrangement of "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah."

A 2023 review from ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' rated this release an 8.5 out of 10, with critic Andy Cush calling it "an imperfect lens through which to examine her artistry", but he traces the singer's career up to this release and highlights several tracks as exceptional, writing that "the ghostly minimalism of the demos" enhances the listening experience.

Track listing

Charts

References

External links

*
Presenting Dionne Warwick
' at

Discogs Discogs ( ; short for " discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...

{{Authority control 1963 debut albums Dionne Warwick albums Albums produced by Burt Bacharach Albums produced by Hal David Scepter Records albums