Search - June Christy :: Song Is June

Two Classic Albums on One CD

Michael J. McVay | 03/01/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This great CD is actually two classic albums in one, both masterfully arranged by Pete Rugolo. The first album, The Song is June (1958), is actually a song-cycle. The songs are "of love and youth and spring," but of nights dreaming of lost love, wishing on the moon, of one's love "belonging to someone else." The storyteller here is Christy, with her beautiful voice and knowing interpretations. The songs' poignant imagery is not the only connecting factor in this album, but Rugolo leads us from song to song harmonically and motivically as well. Listen how Saturday's Children, the last song of this album, loops effortlessly back to Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most, the first song, in harmony and mood. Night Time is My Mother is a haunting, gorgeous song, and leads into the more upbeat song of the night, I Wished On the Moon.In their last album together, Offbeat (1960), Christy and Rugolo pull out all the stops. As she sings in the title song, "I'm swinging above the storm," Christy weathers the meter shifts and syncopations with ease. Out of This World changes tempo at least four or five times, but seems the natural and musical thing to do. Rugolo is also not afraid to change the instrumentation phrase by phrase to serve the lyrics. Rugolo's orchestrations have the effect of a chamber ensemble, where each instrument can be heard, often soloing. The key connecting factor of this album is Rugolo's play with motives. Solo instruments, sometimes a couple of clarinets, flutes, or a harp, introduce each chorus with a descending arabesque taken from the motives of the song (Remind Me, You Wear Love So Well, Who Cares About April). The Bad and the Beautiful and Somewhere share the same opening motive, only inverted. These ballads show us "the misty Miss Christy" side of June, while the delightful Sleepin' Bee shows us her playful side.These two albums follow the tradition of the other great Christy/Rugolo collaborations Something Cool, The Misty Miss Christy, Fair and Warmer, and Gone for the Day. Also one is reminded of Ballads for Night People and The Intimate Miss Christy. If you love these albums like I do, then you must get The Song is June and Offbeat, both containing some of their best work. I'm now waiting for June Christy Recalls Those Kenton Days to be released."

Great two-album set, great vocals

Jon Warshawsky | San Diego, CA USA | 09/25/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"While this album continues to live in the long shadow of June Christy's stunning 'Something Cool', the combination of two albums ('The Song is June' and 'Off Beat') provides a generous number of songs performed in the dusky, blues-y style that sets June apart from many of her contemporaries.The vocals are superb, the songs generally well-chosen, and a close listen bears out the liner note's claim that June and arranger Pete Rugolo focused on artistic rather than commercial success. The result? A varied course of songs that showcase the singer's remarkable agility to traverse tempo and key changes adroitly ('Out of this World'), while delivering a brooding, reflective 'Saturday's Children' that will have you reaching for the REPEAT button on the remote. Though there are faster tracks -- 'My Shining Hour' is almost rushed -- the predominant tempo is deliberate without being ponderous, providing ample opportunity for June to weave her distinctive, deep voice around Rugolo's arrangements. 'Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most' is a good example. There is none of the forced naivete that has rendered more than a few 1950s female vocals dated. These recordings showcase a voice tinged with real blues and imbued with real skill.Based solely on the material, this is a merger of two 'four star' albums. However, the vocals are very engaging, and the volume of material on one disc is a credit to Capitol, as is the greatly expanded 'Something Cool' album. While the present set is probably not the first June Christy solo album to buy, it is part of the classic Christy-Rugolo series that remains rewarding nearly a half century later. As with Sinatra in the male vocalist category, it would be hard to conceive of more superb songs on one disc than appear on these late 1950s albums from Capitol."

Two classic albums from the fifties

Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 05/03/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"June had already recorded four outstanding albums with arranger and conductor Pete Rugelo (Something cool, Misty Miss Christy, Gone for the day, Fair and warmer) before recording the two albums presented here (The song is June, Off beat). As things turned out, these were the last two albums that Pete and June recorded together. The two albums here do not quite match the brilliance of Something cool or Misty Miss Christy, but they are still magnificent albums that any fan of fifties torch music should be proud to own.



Highlights from The song is June include I remember you, a song that has been recorded in many different styles - pop, country and jazz among them - but June's version is as good as any I've heard and superior to most. Another outstanding song, Night time was my mother, is not a song I've come across elsewhere but it deserves to be heard much more frequently. Off beat contains more wonderful songs including Remind me, Out of this world, You wear love so well, Who cares about April and You say you care..



If you enjoy June's other albums, particularly the four others I've mentioned, you'll love this twofer also."