Search - Frances Langford :: April in My Heart

Great vocals turn so-so songs into masterpieces...

TJ jazz | 12/22/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Frances Langford had a knack for turning so-so material into dynamite, because of her elegant delivery and great intonation. Langford sings mostly duds here with the acception of a few jazz standards liek Body & Soul, but she sings them all with the same conviction, and her vocals are the finest of the 30's-40's pop singers. Only Langford could make a song like April In My Heart a timeless piece. Langford is forgotten today, however she was one of the great 3 vocalsitst to emerge out of the 30's(the other two being Connie Boswell & Ginny Simms). This is a great cd for fans of 30's female pop vocals."

Easy to listen to.

Karin L. Calasant | southeast Florida, zone 10 | 07/19/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"April in My Heart is easy to listen to and a "must have" for Frances Langford fans.



Those who aren't fans may find it a little dull the first time around. But the songs on this CD will "grow" on you if you give them a chance.



In my opinion, the weakest song of the bunch is the title, April in my Heart.



We purchased her living room bar and this CD (along with some of her others) is played as "background" music when we entertain.



I also bought it because Frances Langford was a neighbor. For many years we would see her in the local grocery store, was privleged to attend luaus and cocktail parties at her estate, and would see her on the Intercoastal in her yacht. She was always friendly and gracious. We would also frequently dine at her retaurant, The Outrigger. We met her second husband, Ralph Evinrude. He, too, was always charming. Periodically he would have several smaller boats testing Evinrude motors. We would see them racing by on the wide, St. Lucie river, less than a mile from the inlet with the Atlantic. Every once in a while peacocks from her flock would wander down the road and into our garden. She was always down to earth and did so much for Rio and Jensen Beach. Her legacy continues to benefit Martin County, our piece of paradise in southeastern Florida.



My advice is if you are looking for a nostalgic representation of Frances Langford songs, buy this CD."

Another great compilation of Frances' music

Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 05/13/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Frances may be better remembered as an actress but I'm not interested in that aspect of her career. I discovered her music when I started to take her era (the thirties and forties) seriously. I quickly learned that Frances was an outstanding balladeer, who rarely bothered with up-tempo songs. Unlike many other singers of her era, she didn't establish her reputation by singing with a band. It might seem that she was able to take her career up a few notches in the late forties when solo singers, especially balladeers, became fashionable but things didn't work out that way. The tracks here cover the period 1934 to 1947 but only eight of the tracks date from the thirties. This compilation neatly complements three other Frances Langford compilations that I've already reviewed, these being Serenade, Sweet heartaches and So many memories.



The tracks here include several songs that are extremely famous including Blue moon (an American number one hit for Glen Gray in 1935 and an international number one hit for the Marcels in 1961, which was also successful for Elvis Presley in the fifties) and Over the rainbow (an American number one hit for Glenn Miller but it's really Judy Garland's song even though her version only made number five when originally released). Other classics include Every time we say goodbye, Body and soul, Love me or leave me, and April in my heart. Frances sings all of these songs superbly, but there are many other excellent songs here that have mostly faded into undeserved obscurity. The man with the mandolin, Blue Tahitian moon, Baltimore oriole (featuring whistling by Hoagy Carmichael), A little white gardenia and so many others, every one worth hearing.



When I bought this album, I wondered if it could possibly match the earlier compilations, but I needn't have worried. Nothing quite matches Harbour lights (Frances' best song, superior to any other version I've heard including the classic fifties revival by the Platters), which can be found on So many memories, but that was exceptional even by Frances' high standards. If you're new to her music, you may wish to start with that compilation and add the other three later, but overall there isn't much to choose between the four of them."