The July/August 2017 issue of Cry Me A Torch Song – The Video Version. Piers Ford reviews albums from Hafdís Huld (Dare to Dream Small: “Songs that suggest a new reckoning, a coming to terms with life’s complexities”); Alice & Battiato (Live in Roma: “A vast musical landscape, rich with diverse classical, rock, jazz and pop influences”); Susan Wong (Woman in Love: “A refreshing antidote to the excesses of far too many song reinventions”), and Gretchen Peters (Blackbirds: “Delicate, insistent harmonies with expressive lyrics that suddenly reach up through the surface and snap you into the reality of the story”).
The Art of the Torch Singer 
Torch Songs are ALWAYS by single singers. Never duets. Right?
Do you think the song “Fair Share,” by Seals and Crofts, would qualify as a Torch Song?
I know, “Since I Fell For You,” by Lenny Welch is one of the better ones.
BTW, I just discovered Kathy Kirby. As far as I’m concerned there ARE NO OTHER SINGERS!
Thanks for your comment. I think a torch song could be a duet if the feeling is mutual! But for me, the traditional concept of the individual singer in their own private world of emotional torment or unrequited love is the appeal. I’m so glad you’ve found Kathy Kirby – hugely underrated as a dramatic singer.
I’m sorry I overlooked that this blog was about women singers. There are male Torch
Singers, right? I think “Just Once,” by James Ingram is a male Torch Song.
No need to apologise! Female singers are my preference but of course male torch singers are totally legitimate. We all have the same experiences on the rough seas of the emotions! Just Once would qualify. Sinatra’s torch songs are legendary, although I prefer the drama of peak Roy Orbison. There’s Marc Almond today, of course. I suppose even Sam Smith would count as a modern torch singer – although he is a pale shadow of Ian Shaw, a British jazz singer (far too limiting a description) who can break your heart in a single note.