Search - Ann Sothern, Dorothy Lamour :: Sothern Lamour

HOLLYWOOD SCREEN QUEENS DELIGHT ON THIS FIFTIES RETRO COLLEC

A. POLLOCK | PLYMOUTH, DEVON United Kingdom | 03/10/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ever since film discovered sound, there has been a fascination with stars and their vocal abilities. On screen, many were given uncredited ghost voices to enhance their numbers and only in recent years has this fact been generally acknowledged. Fortunately this double-header features two actresses who used their own singing on-screen during their movie careers that included musicals and comedy roles and like others were persuaded to visit a recording studio for albums that Sepia has rediscovered and now thankfully unleashed for enjoyment fifty years on.



Ann Sothern (1909-2001) enjoyed a career over six decades with success on Broadway, in Hollywood movies and on radio and television with latter lengthy credits ensuring she was particularly better known in the USA. With Ian Bernard providing various interesting arrangements, Ann recorded the tracks for a 1957 released album and the mood is generally upbeat in line with her perceived personality. Amongst these are LIFE IS JUST A BOWL OF CHERRIES, LET'S FALL IN LOVE, BALLIN' THE JACK plus Irving Berlin's oldie EVERYBODY'S DOIN' IT which is given a Fifties beat and chirpy chorus in an acceptable update. Many songs like THE LAST TIME I SAW PARIS and YOU'LL NEVER KNOW are choices which Ann was associated during her career. However, WHERE OR WHEN is beautifully rendered with just simple piano accompaniment in a moving transition which is a definitive highlight.



As for Dorothy Lamour (1914-1996), sarongs and the Hollywood ROAD series with Crosby and Hope, are probably the way she is best remembered but she had previously been a band singer and in late-career she took to the musical stage. This collection also issued in 1957 combines selections from a couple of previous albums recorded in the late Forties with emphasis on ballads recorded by torch singer Helen Morgan which Dorothy interprets with meaningful romantic zeal and warmth - a quality often apparent in her on screen roles. With the orchestral participation of Georges Norman and sympathetic chorus, DID YOU EVER SEE A DREAM WALKING? BILL, WHY WAS I BORN? and DON'T EVER LEAVE ME have dramatic pull and gain from Dorothy's smooth interpretation. However, LULU BELLE and ALOHA represent Dorothy's own past movie career and image.



UK-based Sepia's usual care in presentation includes extensive individual notes for each star, with plentiful photographs and acceptable remastered sound quality. Definitely a "must have" for movie buffs and well worth a listen for others who have curiosity for Hollywood's movie Queens who also reigned as songbirds.

"

Vintage Albums By Dorothy and Ann At Last On CD

"Tee" | LA | 09/18/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This release is a combination disc bringing to the CD format two solo albums recorded in the late 1950's by a pair of beautiful movie queens of the 30's and 40's - Dorothy Lamour and Ann Sothern. Miss Lamour, a popular female vocalist noted for her torch song delivery has been well represented on CD for the last decade, often with the same tracks released repeatedly under different CDS. This collection happily brings us an album that has never appeared on CD before, 1958's ROAD TO ROMANCE. Ann Sothern, although often singing in her films, seldom recorded and 1957's SOTHERN EXPOSURE was her only full-length album and this disc finally brings this popular star into the CD era. Miss Sothern sings a number of 40's pop favorites, including "The Last Time I Saw Paris", an Academy Award winning song she introduced in the film LADY BE GOOD.



Miss Lamour's collection features many pop standards as well including "My Man" and "Bill" as well as a few of her famous movie numbers such as "Lulu Belle" and "I Don't Know Why I Love You" and closes with the Hawaiian ode "Aloha Oe" that recalls her famous image as the saronged queen of island romances.



This CD will most appeal to fans of classic Hollywood movies but fans of pre-rock classic pop music will undoubtably be pleased as well."

Back to good old times

Romeu França | sao paulo, sao paulo Brazil | 05/03/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"they are lovely with their smooth voices. Takes you back to Hollywood golden age.The standards showed here have a new way: they are san for actresses who eventually sing. And that is the whole charm"