Search - Rosemary Clooney :: Sings Arlen & Berlin

TWO OF CLOONEY'S GREAT AMERICAN SONGBOOKS

A. POLLOCK | PLYMOUTH, DEVON United Kingdom | 10/19/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Rosemary Clooney, one of America's most popular all-round entertainers in the 50's, had
a two-part singing career. Early experience as a band vocalist with the Tony Pastor
Orchestra finally lead to her decision to go solo. She soon found hit parade success in the
early 50's which fizzed, frazzled and finally flopped towards the end of that era after
various personal and professional factors contributed to chronic emotional trauma.
Rosemary recovered, bounced back, and with voice intact, but more matured, recorded
the great American songbooks backed by small jazz groups.
This retrospective coupling of her 1983 Harold Arlen and 1984 Irving Berlin albums is
proof of her vocal power and ability to choose quality material which enhanced her later
career and certainly highlights Rosemary's ability to interpret songs and their lyrics with
great sincerity and feeling. Arlen's collaboration with Johnny Mercer, E.Y. Harburg and
others, ensured a fine and lasting catalogue of songs, many of which have survived better
than the films and shows for which they were written. Of those by Rosemary, OUT OF
THIS WORLD, STORMY WEATHER and ONE FOR MY BABY have proven to be
heavy-weight standards and favourites of many vocalists over the years, but Rosemary
interprets them ideally in a slightly world-weary style. GET HAPPY found iconic fame
when the great Judy Garland oozed class in SUMMER STOCK(aka. IF YOU FEEL LIKE
SINGING) and her never-to-be forgotten THE WIZARD OF OZ introduced DING
DONG THE WITCH IS DEAD, a minor item, which nonetheless has encouraged modern
vocalists to have fun with it, so Rosemary's upbeat version follows the trend. In fact, she
skilfully makes each song her own with HOORAY FOR LOVE being an appropriate
opening number.
Irving Berlin needed no help with his music and lyrics which generally had that special
appeal which made his songs popular with ordinary people. Rosemary, no stranger to a
Berlin score, had the advantage of starring in WHITE CHRISTMAS in 1954 which
produced one of his most popular scores and her best remembered film. The chance to
choose songs from his vast catalogue must have been a dream come true for her and she
grabs IT'S A LOVELY DAY TODAY, CHEEK TO CHEEK and BETTER LUCK
NEXT TIME and makes them her own. A tender BE CAREFUL, IT'S MY HEART is
also a highlight but in fact, all the songs are well-known and so well sung by Rosemary to
please every listener. Her backing musicians, who include Warren Vache, Scott Hamilton
and Jake Hanna do a great job interpreting arrangements worthy of Rosemary's vocal
dexterity.
This release is one of many which celebrates Rosemary's great talent and long career.
Having gained respect and affection from other singers and jazz musicians, the ultimate
accolade was receipt of a "Grammy" Lifetime Achievement Award in early 2002. Sadly,
too ill to attend the ceremony, Rosemary died on 29th June 2002 aged 74. Whilst we have
recordings like this to appreciate she will never be forgotten."

Rosemary makes 'em proud !!!

Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 03/28/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Rosemary Clooney Sings Arlen & Berlin is quite a nice two CD set. Sure, it could be more extensive; but Rosemary sings some mighty fine tunes here and it's great all the way. After all, how could you go wrong singing the music of Harold Arlen and Irving Berlin?



"Hooray For Love" starts the first CD of Arlen hits with a huge splash! Rosemary's more mature voice sounds wonderful; and she never misses a beat! "Hooray For Love" sounds as if it was meant for Rosemary to sing it; and the jazzy piano solo in the middle stands out as a special element of this number. "Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe" comes from the movie Cabin In The Sky; Rosemary easily aces this and she delivers this number with great panache. Harold Arlen must have been proud! The piano arrangement is very elegant and this makes the melody very pretty.



"Get Happy," a number more associated with Judy Garland, stands out again here as Rosemary sings this to a jazzy arrangement. I'm very impressed! Rosemary handles the tempo changes effortlessly and she truly bats this one straight out of the ballpark! "Get Happy" also benefits from the brass. "Let's Take The Long Way Home" has yet another great piano arrangement; and Rosemary delivers this with all her heart and soul. The first CD ends with "Stormy Weather;" Rosemary performs "Stormy Weather" very well and this rounds out the first CD of tunes by Harold Arlen.



The second CD continues with Rosemary singing great hits from Irving Berlin. "Be Careful, It's My Heart" is a classic pop tune that Rosemary makes all her own with her excellent timing; her voice is able to convey every subtle nuance of all the lyrics to this ballad. "Cheek To Cheek" is an upbeat number that gets another jazzy arrangement and Rosemary handles this smoothly. "Cheek To Cheek" may be a number from an era long gone by; but Rosemary makes it sound new and fresh here! Listen also for "There's No Business Like Show Business." Rosemary delivers this so well and her voice is full of energy for this tune. "There's No Business Like Show Business" shines when Rosemary Clooney sings it!



"What'll I Do" is a tender ballad about a person's pain when their lover has left them at least temporarily; Rosemary performs this with great sensitivity and the whole number is gorgeous. The album ends with "Let's Face The Music And Dance." Rosemary sings this like the pro she always was; and this leaves you wanting more! Don't be surprised if you find yourself pushing the "play" button on your CD player at the conclusion of this final number.



Rosemary Clooney could sing right along with the very best of them; and this two CD set proves it. I highly recommend this two CD set for her fans; and people who like classic jazz and pop vocals will be charmed by this two CD set.

"