Search - Barbara Mcnair :: Front Row Center

Rare McNair

Byron Kolln | the corner where Broadway meets Hollywood | 05/14/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Most of Barbara McNair's 1950s recordings have been slow in coming to CD, so this disc, which boasts McNair's complete output from her time with the Coral label, will be warmly welcomed by her fans.



The CD has a showbusiness theme at it's core (the first twelve tracks form Barbara McNair's only full-length album for Coral - 1959's FRONT ROW CENTER. Unlike most of the female singers from this period, McNair did in fact enjoy playing some of the best female roles on the musical theater stage. Amongst other assigments, she got to replace Diahann Carroll during the Broadway run of "No Strings", and played opposite Hal Linden in a revival of "The Pajama Game" in 1973.



Despite her successes on stage and screen, McNair never really found her ideal niche on a record label - producers either wanted her to sound more "white" or alternatively create an ultra-ethnic sound - and consequently she spent most of her career shifting back and forth between several labels. That's probably why she had a lot of spare time to hone her skills in other directions, like the stage and on television. McNair's time on the Coral label (1958-59) produced only one complete album (FRONT ROW CENTER) and several singles. All of McNair's Coral material is included here on this Sepia release.



Geared to capatalise on her Broadway debut in the short-lived musical "The Body Beautiful", McNair's FRONT ROW CENTER album is a collection of mostly upbeat showtunes, including such favourites as "Old Devil Moon", "Whatever Lola Wants", "If I Were a Bell", "Steam Heat" and "My Heart Belongs to Daddy". The additional singles lean more towards the pop standards of the day ("Waltz Me Around", "Flipped Over You", "I Feel a Feeling", "Goin' Steady with the Moon", etc). Two fun duets with Billy Williams ("Telephone Conversation" and "Go to Sleep, Go to Sleep, Go to Sleep") are probably the main highlight of the McNair singles.



McNair's recordings from this early period in her career have sadly been overlooked in recent years. I hope this much-needed CD will restore the early sound of Barbara McNair in the imaginations and memories of those who loved her own special brand of musical magic."