Wonderful twofer CD from the great Dean Martin
Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 06/13/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The Lush Years/Relaxin' is a great two-fer CD that has all the songs from two of Dean Martin's record albums called The Lush Years and Relaxin'. The quality of the sound is excellent and I like the artwork. I always appreciate it when the CD artwork incorporates the record album artwork; it's great atheistically and it's also nostalgic. Great!
"Love Me, My Love" begins the CD with a heavenly number. Dean croons this with such finesse it charms me completely; and he never misses a beat, either! The backup singers enhance the natural beauty of this ballad--but make no mistake about it, Dean could easily have handled this completely independently. It's just that the style back at that time often used background choruses. "Off Again, On Again" has a beautiful arrangement for the strings; and this sweet melody is just terrific. Dean Martin sings this with panache and this impresses me greatly. I really like "Off Again, On Again" and I think that you will, too. It's a song that explores the feelings of a man when his love affair just isn't going as well as he would like it to go. In addition, Dean does a fantastic job on "Hear My Heart (Sente Le Cuore);" this Italian ballad features a lovely arrangement and Dean's excellent diction makes his performance all the better.
"Rio Bravo" has another pretty melody and Dean sings this to perfection--and beyond! I love this number and the accordion works well with the arrangement. "The Story Of Life (All This Is Mine)" features Dean Martin squarely front and center--and that's right where he always belonged! If there was ever any doubt about Dean Martin's ability to sing with the very best of them, it's numbers like this one that lay to rest those qualms.
"Little Did We Know" has a great arrangement for the strings and the horns are used just right; the music that accompanies Dean as he sings fits in perfectly with his vocals. Dean sings this flawlessly and his somewhat more mature voice never sounded better. "Pennies From Heaven" gets the royal treatment as Dean Martin sings this with a particularly slow tempo--how romantic! Dean makes this ballad shine as never before; and the chorus harmonizes well, too. "In Napoli" is another charming number that is clearly a highlight of this twofer CD album; and Dean sings this seemingly effortlessly. Great!
"Sparklin' Eyes" has a catchy melody and Dean injects lots of positive energy as he sings this tune so very well. I really enjoy "Sparklin' Eyes;" and I could never tire of hearing Dean Martin sing this number. "Cheatin' On Me" is a number that certainly isn't all that happy; but as Dean saunters his way through this song he makes it sound nothing short of heavenly. "How Sweet It Is" has a fine arrangement; and the album closes well with Dean Martin performing "Who Was That Lady?" "Who Was That Lady?" is a hauntingly beautiful love ballad that Dean delivers with all his heart and soul.
Dean Martin will never be forgotten--he was way too good a singer for that. This is a great album especially for Dean Martin fans.
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Track Listings (20) - Disc #1