Born in South Carolina and raised in Harlem, Eartha Kitt acquired her sexy, self-mocking, continental sophistication via her travels around the world, particularly a stay in Paris. By the time she burst upon New York, first with a series of nightclub appearances, then in the revue New Faces of 1952, and finally on her RCA Victor recordings, she came across as a rich, jaded chanteuse. At the same time, however, she let her audiences know that it was all something of a joke, which, of course, made it all the more appealing.

RCA reprised some of her hit singles, notably 'C'est Si Bon (It's So Good)', and gave her some similar material, particularly a couple of naughty Cole Porter songs, "Let's Do It" and "My Heart Belongs to Daddy." She sang in French, Spanish, Turkish, and even Swahili, but all along she was speaking the language of the supper club, singing with precise articulation in her limited, reedy, vibrato-laden voice. On Down To Earth, a 1955 collection of later singles and tracks, you can hear RCA looking for hits with some up-tempo novelty material, but there are also more songs for the nightclub act, stories Kitt acts out, such as "The Heel" and "Oh John! (Please Don't Kill Me)." Kitt's sly theatricality wins out over the sometimes-pedestrian song writing, making the collection as a whole a powerful demonstration of her talents." William Ruhlmann .

Eartha Kitt, lead vocals on all tracks, plus: The Henri René Orchestra: featuring Henri René (saxophone and piano), Doc Severinsen (trumpet), Urbie Green (trombone), Walt Levinsky (clarinet), Al Caiola (guitar). Unidentifed strings, bass, drums, and chorus. Recorded in New York, between 1954 and 1955.

Tracks: I Wantcha Around / Do You Remember / Looking For A Boy / I've Got That Lovin' Bug Itch / Oh, John! / Strangers In The Starlight / MacK The Knife / Je Cherche Un Homme (I Want A Man) / I Want To Be Evil / The Day That The Circus Left Town / Apres Moi / The Heel / Mambo De Paree / My Heart's Delight / Hey, Jacque / Never On Sunday / C'est Si Bon (It's So Good) / Santa Baby