Search - Rosemary Clooney :: With Love

Exquisite ballads from the great Rosemary Clooney

Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 03/23/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Love is an outstanding release from Rosemary Clooney with lush arrangements by the great nelson Riddle. When they say that this showcases a slightly older and more polished Rosemary Clooney, they are right. The sound quality is excellent and I like the artwork as well.



The album begins with Rosemary singing "Invitation;" this song doubles as a beautiful opening tune and an invitation to listen to the entire CD. Rosemary sings with an awful lot of grace and style; she shows a great deal of maturity and polish--great! "Yours Sincerely" features Rosemary again in the spotlight; she never misses a beat and she handles this complicated vocal arrangement flawlessly. Nelson Riddle's arrangement uses the strings to great advantage, too. Listen also for "Find The Way." "Find The Way" is an emotional love ballad that gets a fine interpretation from Rosemary as she sings this so sweetly. The strings again enhance the melody to make this number very pretty.



"How Will I Remember You?" has Rosemary singing at her very best; and she delivers this with all her heart and soul. I really like this number. "More Than You Know" is a very classic pop vocal with a stunning Nelson Riddle arrangement to make this tune a major highlight of this album. Excellent--I love it!



"You Started Something" is another very classic love song that gets the royal treatment from Rosemary as she bats this one straight out of the ballpark. The brass enhances the arrangement and Rosemary makes "You Started Something" into a wonderful number. "If I Forget You" is another classic tune that Rosemary sings beautifully and soulfully.



"Someone To Watch Over Me" is a fine ballad that places Rosemary front and center; but of course Nelson Riddle's arrangement works wonders for this tune. "Black Coffee" is treated as a jazzy melancholy number that sparkles like gold when Rosemary sings it like silk; and listen for the final tune, "The Man That Got Away." "The Man That Got Away" is a signature Judy Garland song; and Rosemary would make Judy proud with her exquisite interpretation of the torch song. "The Man That Got Away" also uses the brass and strings very well.



Overall, this album is a must have for fans of the great Rosemary Clooney. People who like classic pop vocals will appreciate this album as well.

"

Miss Clooney at the peak of her powers

Byron Kolln | the corner where Broadway meets Hollywood | 11/10/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Love" is probably the best album ever made by the legendary Rosemary Clooney (certainly her best effort at doing a cohesive themed album). No doubt a lot of the magic associated within the album was created through Clooney's affair with arranger Nelson Riddle. Together, they made what has become a landmark record in the Clooney catalogue.



Despite the impeccable vocals of Clooney and the velvety arrangements of Riddle, it now seems almost unbelievable that the album's original release through the RCA label was cancelled (at a time when the label was beginning to cut back on it's jazz and theatre cast recording projects). Four years later, Frank Sinatra acquired the master tape and (recognising it's very rare qualities) released it on his own Reprise label, where it quickly became a smash success.



Everything (including the gorgeous cover photograph by John Engstead) is 100% high-class, from her well-judged deliveries of "Imagination" and "More Than You Know", to the wrenching "The Man That Got Away" (that only rivals with Garland's recording; added as a bonus track from her subsequent album "Thanks for Nothing"), Clooney is on form. In the arrangements, you can hear how Riddle is matching and playing with her voice to create the best balance between her and the various instruments. A very welcome CD reissue (and at a bargain price).



[Reprise/WEA 9 46072-2]"