[.ca] At Long Last

This cd seemed to short change us the fans:
This is one more Rosemary Clooney cd that I have added to my collection. It's really not one to write home about. Let me try to explain my less than enthusiastic feeling about this cd. I think that the idea to record a cd with the great Count Basie Orchestra was grand one. As far as the orchestra goes they did their thing. They delivered a whale of a performance. Where the real problem areas came from are at Rosemarys' end. First off, I thought the repertoire was a little weak. Secondly, I thought that Rosemary tried to be too cute by changing the lyrics on some of the songs.. This cd could have been a lot better, if it could have been more conservative. Well, you can't win them all can you? Better luck next time! Recommendation: I can not recommend this cd.

Sometimes all that it takes is STYLE!:
As I listen to this recording made in 1998, several things come to mind.... First, Rosemary Clooney is a hearty seventy years old. Second, sometimes talent is more dependent on style than anything else and Third, I'm singing along with her and tapping my feet, so I must find this record entertaining! For those who aren't old enough to realize it... no matter how hard we try, we're not stopping Mother Nature from changing us physically and (in Rosemary's case) vocally. In this recording, her voice is not the bright, young sound of a twenty-year-old. She's not wearing a size two dress and sometimes, her range is compromised just a tad with the volume of her voice, but here I am, entertained, singing along and tapping my feet because, dear listener... she got STYLE! I can't say that Carol Channing ever sang with a voice like butter, Bob Dylan ever actually correctly annunciated a single word in his life, and L.L. Cool J ever employed classification as a tenor, alto, baritone, soprano or otherwise. But for some crazy reason, people purchased their recordings and enjoyed them all the same... because in some questionable way, they too, had STYLE. Aside from all of those thoughts, Clooney is singing with a band lead by a guy who has been dead for sixteen years... now THAT takes talent! So there you have it... the artist and the album have several important things going for them... STYLE, TALENT and ENTERTAINMENT. What more do you want? Basie's orchestra and Clooney's sometimes raspy voice compliment each other. They sound like they are just having plain, old fun conspiring. We get to track seven, "I Want to be a Sideman" and I just can't imagine hearing a soft, sweet young voice belting out the words. So, dear listener, pick this up and have a little fun with Rosemary and the orchestra. Reminisce a little, sing along and above all... be entertained!

Rosie's best, with Basie:
She recorded a masterpiece with Ellington in the late 50's and in the late 90's she recorded this gem with Basie's band, it really swings(lindy hoppers will love this). This is Rosie's finest Concord release and is ESSENTIAL for jazz vocal, jazz and swing fans.

Masterful phrasing.:
The one or two previous reviewers who complained that Rosie's voice is not what it once was are a. entitled to their opinion b. belaboring the obvious or c. forgetting that phrasing is half of what jazz singing is about and that Rosemary Clooney is a past master at the art of putting over a song. Answer is d. all of the above. As a bit of an ironic tribute to her former self, Rosie includes a section of a demo version of "I Got Rhythm" (circa 1946) as an intro to the updated version with the Basie Orchestra. The effect is startling. Her early "girl singer" voice is lovely but a little characterless. I would not necessarily recognize it as a Rosemary Clooney vocal. When she launches into her latter day version, well, it's clear who it is and that she's in charge. This is a voice that can sing "Willow Weep for Me" and "In the Wee Small Hours..." with real conviction. Just masterful. And the best thing about the current day Rosemary Clooney? No one's going to force this independent artist to do silly novelty numbers anymore. The woman who used to be the girl singer is now a mature woman and consummate artist.

FINE & MELLOW:
Firstly, I'd like to write a few things about the other customer reviews I've read about this album: One of the writers said that the choice of material was weak. Can classic songs like "The Man Who Got Away" or "Just In Time," "Willow Weep For Me," "Lullaby of Broadway," etc. ever be considered light-weight? How about "In The Wee Small Hours of the Morning?" or "I Got Rhythm?" All of these and 10 more are well represented on this CD. There is even a less well-known number called "If Swing Goes I Go Too" written by none other than Fred Astaire. Another reviewer complained that Clooney's voice is not what it used to be. Big surprise: A woman of 70+ years does not sound as technically good as she did when she was in her 30's or 50's. But, as opposed to many other singers, with Clooney you get the ups & downs of a long, spectacular career reflected in her voice. This first-rate combination of one of America's finest song stylists and, arguably, America's finest big band is inspired. Clooney's interpretive skills are as sharp as ever, even if she does not have all of her top notes, even if she shies away from a legato line. Her duet with Barry Manilow ("How About You") is witty and charming with the singers obviously enjoying their time together. Is this my favorite Rosie album? Not by a long shot. That would probably be "Demi-Centennial" or "Do You Miss New York?" or one of her tribute albums to the likes of Cole Porter or Johnny Mercer or Irving Berlin. But it is a fine, mellow, sweet, sophisticated CD and well worth anyone's time and money.

• Just in Time
• Like Someone in Love
• Willow Weep for Me
• Lullaby of Broadway
• Old Devil Moon
• Everything Happens to Me
• I Want to Be a Sideman
• In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning
• How About You?
• Man That Got Away
• Seems Like Old Times
• Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry
• It Just Happened to Happen to Me
• I Got Rhythm
• Gypsy in My Soul
• If Swing Goes, I Go Too