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We were driving late one night and heard Yma Sumac featured in an NPR program on legendary female singers who time has forgotten.

Wow! Listening to Sumac for the first time, with her 4-octave range, was one of the most exotic, campy, over-the-top, thrilling musical experiences we have had in a long time.

Supposedly born in Peru,a descendant of Inca royal lineage, there is also a rumor that won't die which claims that she is really from Brooklyn.

It all adds to the mysterious, intriguing sound of a woman who can musically recreate everything from birds to a volcano.

Her heydey was in the mid '50s, but she is still alive today.

"During the 1950s, she produced a series of legendary lounge recordings featuring Hollywood-style versions of Incan and South American folk songs, working with the likes of Les Baxter and Billy May. In 1951, she popularized Jorge Bravo de Rueda's classic song "Vírgenes del Sol". The combination of her extraordinary voice, exotic looks and stage personality made her a hit with American audiences. Sumac even appeared in a Broadway musical, Flahooley, in 1951, as a foreign princess who brings Aladdin's lamp to an American toy factory to have it repaired. The show's score was by Sammy Fain and E.Y. "Yip" Harburg, but Sumac's four numbers were the work of Vivanco. Capitol Records, Sumac's home label, recorded the show, which failed but has lived on as a cult classic, in part because it also marked the Broadway debut of Barbara Cook. During the height of Sumac's popularity, she appeared in the films Secret of the Incas (1954) and Omar Khayyam (1957); she became a U.S. citizen July 22, 1955."

-- Wikipedia

"At last: a well-chosen overview of Yma's work at Capitol! (Which covers just about everything except her '70s rock sides, recorded for another label and not widely commercially available.) It's a boon not only to those not familiar with the diva's huge body of work, but also to collectors who have had, in the past, to pick-and-choose from her many specifically-themed albums, to create their own collections of her many different styles in a single package. The remastering is impeccable, and the liner notes/bio surpass anything previously released with her recordings - featuring photos of her from the '50s to the present. (The fairly recent shot of her mugging before a replica of the Capitol Records tower is a hoot!) Much of the shrouded romantic mystery of the famed Sun Virgin has been replaced by factual, but no less intriguing, biographical and professional information. Definitely a must-have for the Yma novitiate, and a nicely rounded-out addition for the true enthisiast. (No more dragging out all those LPs and CDs to find one or two definitive numbers!) Thanks, EMI!"

There are 21 songs on this album, like nothing you have ever heard. It's like an opera diva meets Carmen Miranda.

If you want to see and hear more of Sumac, go to You Tube and type in Yma Sumac and you can watch some vintage videos and news coverage.

Just so you get the full range of reviews on Ms. Sumac, here is another online take on Yma: "Although Ms. Sumac could sing in 4 octives, her material ran from pretty exotic and lush to absolutely dreadful. Who cares?? In some ways she was the "Ed Wood" of the music world, and so over-the-edge, you could hardly believe it. I remember when she was popular and yes, we really did take her totally seriously. But let's face it, we never heard anything like her... and she was incredibly entertaining. This colllection will amaze, delight and completely blow you away. It's like nothing else in popular music you have ever heard."

We agree.

Sumac has an absolutely amazing vocal instrument most often wrapped in Hollywood kitsch that leaves you smiling at one of the strangest vocal stylings you will ever hear.

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