A CAPITOL COLLECTION PLUS
Barry McCanna | Normandy, France | 04/14/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Helen O'Connell came to public attention in early 1939, singing with Jimmy Dorsey's orchestra, at first solo but increasingly in tandem with Bob Eberle. She retired from the music scene in 1943, at the age of 23, but made a comeback in the early fifties and signed with the fledgling Capitol Records. All but the final six of this 60-song collection concentrate on her tenure with that label, and show what a versatile vocalist she was. In addition to the up-tempo numbers in which she excelled, the selection includes ballads, standards, torch songs, novelty numbers and Country & Western. There are thirteen duets, two with the honey-toned Dean Martin, two with Tennesseee Ernie Ford, one with her old sparring partner Bob Eberle, two with Skeets McDonald, and six with Gisele MacKenzie. Accompaniments were provided by Frank DeVol, Harold Mooney, Dick Stabile, Cliffie Stone, Les Baxter, Dave Cavanaugh, George Siravo, and Marion Evans. A great tribute to a great vocalist."