I'm lokking for the name of a female singer (african-american?). The song goes like this '...a lady likes to look her best before she pours the tea...' and sounds quite old.
It is probably Marlene Dietrich, she's not african-american, but German I think.. And I'm almost certain the song you're looking for is called "Look Me Over Closely" and was recorded in 1953 or 1954.
The lyric starts like this:
Look me over closely,
Tell me what you see.
A lady likes to look her best
Before she pours the tea.
You�ll see a diamond studded gown
That makes the evening sun go down.
etc..