Search - Keely Smith :: Essential Capitol Collection

The Natural (The singer is essential; not necessarily this r

Samuel Chell | Kenosha,, WI United States | 10/04/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Of all the great American female singers, Keely Smith may be the most "naturally" gifted. The instrument, the technique, the sense of melodic line all invite the closest analysis and emulation--simply exemplary, textbook examples of the art of singing. How do you explain such a phenomenon? It's practically unfair to the aspiring talents who will study and practice long hours yet not come close to equaling skills like hers.



Keely Smith inhaled the smoke of Las Vegas' Sahara Lounge six nights a week for almost ten years, exhaling the strains of an angel over the din of a raucous band, all the while maintaining her cool as "straight man" for a headliner with the onstage persona of a manic Neanderthal--and she ends up with not only the voice but the technique of a singer without peer. If there's one song to put a singer to the test, it's Jerome Kern's incomparable "All The Things You Are," which is the first track of twenty-seven on this collection of Keely Smith material from the mid-to-late 1950s.



Listen to the evenness of the vibrato, the effortless phrasing, the contoured lines, the silky tones supported by firm and unfaltering breath support, the clear and pellucid soprano register that "floats" on a stream of uninterrupted melody, the varied articulations even while maintaining that sweet and rich timbre. Her pitch is always dead center, she's consistent throughout the entire register (no falsetto "breaks"), she catches the dramatic expressiveness of the lyric's meaning without exaggeration or gratuitous drama, and her diction doesn't risk the listener's missing a single word.



The Essential Capitol Collection omits striking if not indispensable Smith performances of "It's Magic," "Lullaby Of The Leaves," and perhaps what is the definitive recorded version of Jerome Kern's "Sweet And Lovely"--look, instead, to the collection Spotlight On Keely Smith (Capitol, 1994). So best view this sampler as another one of those "essential," "ultimate," "best-of" but arbitrary anthologies, necessarily incomplete and short of being totally satisfying. A listener could be forgiven for wishing the producers of the present collection might have bypassed the Prima, Sam Butera, and Sinatra tracks in favor of exclusive focus on Smith. It's unfortunate (though understandable) that some of Smith's recent, non-Capitol recordings could not have been included. Even as a septuagenarian, she's nothing less than amazing, performing with ample breath reserves, full control of her smooth vibrato, and a relatively youthful and "alive" voice a half century later!



Notwithstanding the aforementioned caveats, this collection is undeniably a bountiful treasure. In fact, after hearing The Essential Capitol Collection some listeners will no doubt be left pondering why the names of Rosemary Clooney, Doris Day, Peggy Lee, Dinah Shore, Kay Starr, Patti Page, Anita O'Day, June Christy and all the rest get mentioned ahead of Keely Smith in any discussion of the female singers who came to the public's attention in the 1950s. Is it because she says "ma" instead of "my"? Or because she's just too consistently perfect not to be taken for granted? Perhaps--and this is a big "perhaps"--she was a bit too quick to separate her life from her art. Maybe if we felt we got to know just a little more of the person behind that deadpan Buster Keaton face with the perfect voice, we'd be less likely to overlook her undeniable claim to the top spot."

The Essential Capitol Collection - Keely Smith

Bruce Bryant | Ulysses, KS | 08/27/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Keely Smith does something for me. The songs she sings and her voice are among the best of any entertainer. Her recordings deserve more appreciation than they have received."

A high priestess of song sings some of her best

Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 12/09/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Keely Smith possesses a fantastic ability to sing so well that she could capture your attention at once and you would never want to stop listening to her. She could sing you the phone book; and when she was finished you would be applauding and begging for more. This excellent retrospective album gives us quite a bit of the best of Keely Smith. It has twenty eight wonderful tracks and at 78 minutes the CD is as jam packed with hits as any CD is ever going to be.



"All The Things You Are" opens the CD; Keely sings this perfectly without a superfluous note. Her voice is warm, rich and vibrant in a way that just couldn't be better. The strings and horns help the musical arrangement along although Keely's vocals remain squarely in the foreground. "It's Been A Long, Long Time" sports that big band flavor and Keely makes this number more energetic than I've ever heard it. Keely swings brightly and the musical arrangement lacks nothing, either.



"That Old Black Magic" is a duet Keely does with husband Louis Prima; they got a Grammy for this song and one listen will prove to you that they deserved it. Keely's voice is truly an instrument of its own and she sings "That Old Black Magic" with panache.



"I Wish You Love" begins with a great musical flourish and when Keely comes in this number takes flight! Keely's voice is particularly sweet on this number; and her voice conveys all the subtle romantic nuances to make "I Wish You Love" her very own masterpiece! "Autumn Leaves" gets a somewhat less melancholy flavor than usual when Keely sings it. Unfortunately, this is one number that I think was better left to Edith Piaf.



"On The Sunny Side Of The Street" gets a big band, jazzy feel to it as Keely sings this triumphant, upbeat melody flawlessly. Keely seems to be the perfect female vocalist to sing "On The Sunny Side Of The Street." I predict that you will enjoy this number very much.



"Imagination" features Keely singing wonderfully yet again; and "Stardust" gets the royal treatment from Keely as she delivers "Stardust" with great sensitivity. Great! The album ends with a live track of Keely performing "When Day Is Done." Louis Prima introduces her and Keely sings this every bit as well as if the number had been professional recorded in a studio! Her talent truly was special.



The liner notes include some pretty nice black and white photos of Keely and we get an essay by James Ritz.



Overall, Keely Smith fans won't want to go without this album; although it's best suited for people who want a "best of" type of album. This album simply doesn't give you everything you need to fully appreciate just how great Keely Smith was when she was at her peak in the 1950s and 1960s although it's quite strong as a retrospective CD.. If you like this CD I would suggest you check out other albums by this fine artist.

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