All Alone by the Telephone pairs Polly Bergen with arranger Luther Henderson to create a deeply melancholy song cycle that explores romantic estrangement and isolation from a refreshingly adult perspective.

Bergen's dusky, world-weary vocals never resort to histrionics, finding their mode of expression in restraint, not release -- her thoughtful interpretations of material like "Glad to Be Unhappy," "Too Late Now," and "By Myself" strip the songs to their core, articulating their themes of loss with hard-fought maturity.

Henderson's sympathetic, meticulous arrangements are no less essential to the album's uncommon sophistication.