Search - Rodgers & Hart :: Rodgers & Hart Songbook

Too incomplete

Annie Van Auken | Planet Earth | 02/11/2007

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Lorenz Hart and his musical collaborator, Richard Rodgers, met in college. For the next quarter-century, these two would produce some remarkable music. Hart's brilliant lyrics perfectly matched Rodgers' melodies. Hart struggled all his life with both the stigma of homosexuality (things were unfortunately different in the 1930s) and alcoholism. Drinking may have contributed to Hart's premature death at age 48, in 1943.



The RODGERS & HART songbook has some fine examples, yet too much of this duo's best work is not here: "Blue Moon," "My Heart Stood Still," "Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered," "Mimi," "The Most Beautiful Girl In The World," "Ten Cents A Dance," "My Funny Valentine," "In The Cool Of The Evening," "The Lady Is A Tramp" and "Where Or When" are all worthy of inclusion. In fact, several of these should have been favored over songs that ARE on this album.



There's better Rodgers & Hart collections available. (2½ stars)

"