Search - Teresa Brewer :: A Sweet Old Fashioned Girl

A few hits and a lot of rarities

Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 04/03/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Some of Teresa's big hits are here (Jilted, A tear fell, A sweet old-fashioned girl, You send me) but others (Ricochet, Till I waltz again with you) are missing, while the version of Music music music presented here is a re-recording; the original can be found on another compilation, The original sound of Miss Music music music, on the same label So this is not a substitute for a greatest hits compilation, but its appeal lies in all the rarities to be found, many of which have never previously appeared on CD. The real disappointment, if there is one, is that the booklet notes could have been written for any compilation of Teresa's music, except for the occasional mention of hits included here. Given the nature of the compilation, it would have been more useful to have comments about the tracks actually selected for inclusion than a generic biography. Still, it's the music that really counts and that is excellent.



Critics of Teresa's music point to the novelty songs, but these were a feature of the period and all the big stars including Guy Mitchell and Doris Day recorded their share of such songs. One such song is Teresa's duet with Don Cornell, You'll never get away. It isn't the finest record that Teresa - or Don - ever made, but it's OK and it earned its inclusion by making the top 20 in America when originally released. Going back to more conventional material, Teresa recorded many great songs and plenty of them are to be found here.



Among the tracks are four Christmas songs, grouped together halfway though the first CD. Ideally, these tracks should have been put at the end of the CD, so that they would be easy to ignore in summertime by the simple use of the STOP button, but it seems that the compiler was determined to put the tracks in chronological order. Nevertheless, as a Christmas music junkie, I was grateful for the inclusion of these tracks, only one of which (I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus) is a Christmas standard. The other three (Too fat for the chimney, Ebeneezer Scrooge, I just can't wait till Christmas) are all new to me and are among my favorite discoveries on this compilation. I suppose it's too much to hope that some label will release Teresa's Christmas album in its entirety?



For those who already have Teresa's greatest hits and want to explore further, this is a great collection. With the inclusion of some of her big hits, covers of some familiar songs and a host of other great but rarely-heard songs, it may also arouse the interest of those who enjoy listening to female singers of the fifties."

Teresa Brings Smiles

Bert | Pittsburgh PA | 04/15/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is an excellent retrospective of a terrific popular singer who made people smile for over fifty years. The songs are straightforward ballads and jazz and novelty and meant for sheer entertainment. Nothing here for the dark side."