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Nancy LaMott’s new DVD set “The Don’t Tell Mama Shows” captures the greatest female vocalist of all time during her formative years in New York. Like her male equal, Frank Sinatra, LaMott took more than a decade to become a truly sensational singer. Sinatra reached his pinnacle during perhaps the most painful time of his life, between 1955 and 1961 when he was embroiled in a tumultuous marriage and its aftermath with Ava Gardner. Likewise LaMott transformed herself from a great to a sensational singer from 1991 to the time of her death at the end of 1995 while battling a series of serious diseases and operations.

The concerts on this marvelous DVD collection capture LaMott performing four complete concerts from 1986 to 1988 and prove that true greatness doesn’t happen overnight, but requires years of preparation combined with talent, ability, and a voice that by 1991 would be able to consistently touch the heart of the listener.

These shows are a fascinating testament to her verve and enormous charm, and if you play these discs on a good surround system you will be mesmerized by her immaculate pitch and phrasing. LaMott suffered from Crohn’s disease most of her life, endured painful relationships, and usually barely had enough money to survive, yet she can be seen in these shows discussing her hardships and emotional sorrows, and then deriving from them the appropriate level of intensity to personally touch each member of her audience with her voice. Singing is a hearing art, and these performances showcase LaMott as a master of this art.