Search - Ethel Merman :: Merman Sings Merman

Some of Her Best, and Some of Her Worst

Geoffrey Mark Fidelman | Sherman Oaks, CA United States | 06/20/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"After Merman's finished her Broadway career with "Hello, Dolly!" in 1970, her mother took ill and Ethel did not work for almost two years. This CD is a collection of two albums, "Merman Sings Merman" and "Ethel's Ridin' High" that she recorded in London during her mother's illness. The orchestrations from "Merman Sings Merman" are ... of the ones Billy May had written for her night-club act and Reprise album from 1961. Ethel's voice had begun to have a distinct wobble, and it is greatly evidenced here. The album was recorded as most modern albums are, with all of the instrumental tracks recorded first, and Ethel singing to a playback of them. The problem is, Ethel wasn't comfortable with some of the tempos, and it shows. This collection would have been much better if Ethel had been allowed to sing with the orchestra there with her, following her instead of her trying to keep pace with them.The are superb versions here of "Riding High", "Alexander's Ragtime Band", "You're the Top", "Eadie Was a Lady", "You're Just in Love", and "Blow, Gabriel Blow" from among those songs she introduced. Unfortunately, the rest of the songs associated with Merman lack in vocal quality and arrangement. In fact, some of them are downright embarassing.There are many tunes here NOT associated with Ethel's career, and "Nothing Can Stop Me Now", "The Impossible Dream", and "What Kind of Fool Am I?" are simply terrific. This collection is a MUST for fans of Merman and Broadway. Now, if they will only release her Reprise album "Merman: Her Greatest" on CD. Now THAT was Ethel at her best!"