Dino, Country Style
George M. Zavaglia | Brockport, NY | 06/25/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Dean Martin and country music may seem to be an unlikely pairing of artist and genre; but after giving this CD a listen you may feel otherwise. Comprised of two 1963 albums, the collection could accurately be titled "Dean Martin Meets the Nashville Sound".
In 63' the trademarks of that sound--smooth lead vocals singing stories of love and loss accompanied by lush string sections and even larger sounding background vocal groups-- abounded on the country charts. Martin chose to give the style a try.
It still seems to fit him as nice as a comfy pair of shoes--or better yet, cowboy boots. His trademark croon glides effortlessly above the chorus and across ballads like "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry", "Bouquet Of Roses", and "Candy Kisses".
Smartly interspersed among the sentiment are upbeat arrangements of stuff like "Hey. Good Lookin' and the Bobby Darin hit "Things". Martin even took a turn at Johnny Cash's ode to monogamy "I Walk The Line" and does so quite nicely.
There's even what seems to be a brief, perhaps unconscious nod to the influence of rock and roll which was by 1963 grabbing a larger share of all record sales. Listen to the guitar solo as Dino sails through "Corrine, Corrina" and you'll see what I mean.
With all the good things that can be said about this CD it is still an acquired taste. If you like Dino and/or the country songs and arrangements popular at the time these albums were recorded you'll enjoy this collection. His vocals are unmistakable, sure and strong. So strong in fact, that he would continue to include country music in what he did for the balance of his recording career and fans loved it. But, if you prefer today's much different country sound then this one's not for you.
"
Mediocre
schmoogie | Tampa, Florida | 10/23/2008
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Being a lover of both country music and Dean Martin, this album was a natural choice. Dean Martin doing county music sounds like a great marriage. To add fuel to this theory, I remember seeing him do an amazing song in a Western movie which may have been Rio Bravo. Eventually, however, I quickly found out why the two albums on this disc were out-of-print. The song choices are good and Dean's voice is as velvety as ever. The problem lies in the production and treatment. All songs are filled with the thick backdrop of a cheesy 1960's symphony orchestra. I'm not sure if it hasn't aged well or always sounded corny. I think that had Dean stripped the arrangements down (or recorded it ten years earlier or later), it might have become a classic. Instead, this disc is the reissue of two albums that probably should have stayed out-of-print. If you go into this album as a die hard Dino fan, you'll probably like it more than if you jump into it as a county and western enthusiast. Get this if you're as curious as I was to actually hear Dino sing county, but avoid it if you can."
Tex, Dean Martin
Carole Schmidt | Oceanside, California USA a | 01/24/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If you like Dean Martin..you will love this. He is at he's best. Sexy, beautiful music. Not his nightclub stuff, middle of the road country. Even if you don't like country..you'll like these songs..Some are slow and sad, some are very happy. All are Dean......."
