A REISSUE WELL WORTH THE WAIT!
Giovanni Marra | Lockport, IL | 02/27/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"With the small amount of Jack Jones' works available on CD, once again, it is Japan who treats us to this stellar collection of ballads from one of the best vocalists of our time. There are, for the most part, songs we have on the aformentioned few available discs repeated here, such as the Latin heartbreaker, A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A FOOL, and the classic love song from Doctor Zhivago, SOMEWHERE, MY LOVE. It's fine to have a repeat here and there, especially when you have such lesser known gems such as the sly LOVE AFTER MIDNIGHT, the bossa nova flavored SOMEWHERE THERE'S SOMEONE,and another bossa beat in THE FACE I LOVE, and the touching version of the Peggy Lee lyric in THE SHINING SEA. Jack takes the Rodgers & Hammerstein classic from Oklahoma, PEOPLE WILL SAY WE'RE IN LOVE and makes it his own, with a fine swinging treatment. (Just heard this one first on another Japanese import made available last year, CURTAIN TIME, a Broadway tunes collection) Certainly the sleeper of the album was co-written by the featured pianist on this album, Doug Talbert, in THE SNOWS OF YESTERYEAR. It's as wistful as the title suggests, without going over the top, and Jack's vocals here are some of the best in his career. A shame this song never got more exposure. Overall, the arrangements abet Jack well, being first rate by Ralph Carmichael, a fine arranger in his own rite who did stellar work with Nat King Cole toward the end of his career (life). The replication of LP cover (via slipcase/mini LP replica) and sound remastering is second to none, which is usually the case on these Japanese imports. Sadly, these types of items have escalated in price considerably, but in a case like this, it's worth it to invest a few extra bucks to treat yourself to such a wonderful and well worth waiting for masterpiece by Jack Jones. Hope to see more of Jack's works out there (from Kapp AND RCA Records) Enjoy!"
KathyW
K. Winters | 06/11/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I'm an easy listening/soft jazz kind of music fan. I especially agree that Jack Jones is one of the best. Along with Mel Torme, Frank Sinatra, et al., Jack Jones had impeccable phrasing and clear enunciation. I've enjoyed these artists for years and to this day can still remember every word of every song on each of their albums because I could hear each word clearly. Sadly, that's not possible much any more. There are still great performers I've come to enjoy, but the production of the albums tends to overwhelm the voices."
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1