Great writer - great singer!
Arnold L. Fogel | St. Louis Park, MN USA | 01/31/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Before the advent of such folks as Brian Wilson, Lennon & McCartney, Dylan, and their immediate predecessors (Holly, Sedaka, etc.) in the Rock field, popular singers sang and popular composers composed, and rarely the twain did meet. Nobody expected Sinatra, Crosby, or Holiday to write songs (though they occasionally did); it was enough that they were geniuses of the art of interpretation, as well as splendid musicians. In the same way, the public didn't care if Gershwin sang like a frog, or if Berlin could barely pipe above a whisper; theirs was the art of creation, they were the geniuses of invention. There were two notable exceptions during this era: Hoagy Carmichael and Johnny Mercer. They were the tunesmiths who were also wonderful performers. Ironically, both worked together with great success on occasion, and both wrote lovingly, movingly, of the American South. Of the two, Mercer was the more "musical" as a vocalist, having a jazz singer's sense of the "blue-ness" of the wry, twisted angularity of jazz-pop vocalizing, and the ability and the chops to pull it all off, a talent which eluded Carmichael, delightful as he was.
This set, actually a compilation of two LPs made by Mercer in the early 1970s, presents us with another view of Mercer the singer: The vocalist who "improves with age". I can think of only two other male vocalists in the history of the jazz-pop field who actually improved as they aged, to the point that their final recordings were among their finest: Torme and Jolson. To this tiny list we must now add Mercer. Here is a man whose singing had acquired a further depth of insight, interpretation, and musicianship only hinted at in his earlier recordings. Even the trade-marked Mercer "hummingbird" vibrato has steadied, evened, mellowed. The voice is lower and more resonant. Age becomes Mr. Mercer.
These recordings were produced by Ken Barnes in the 70s, and as testament to their effectiveness, we need only state the fact that the sound of the singer and the surrounding production was of a quality as to attract the likes of Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire to Mr. Barnes, enabling these legends to hence make their finest modern-day recordings. Pete Moore's arrangements are modern without being distracting or innapropriate; they provide us with the satisfaction of hearing our old favorite "Huckleberry Friend" effortlessly bridge the years and become a part of the '70s stereo firmament. The song choice on these discs is great as well, a nice mixture of Mercer standards (Goody Goody, Come Rain Or Come Shine, One For My Baby) with relative obscurities (Little Ingenue, Watcha Ma Call It).
I first bought these original LPs in an import shop in 1975, before I knew that there would be such a thing as digital remastering. I'm so happy to hear them now the way they REALLY sound (those import PYE LPs were a trifle warped, must've been the ocean trip over). And I'm grateful that Ken Barnes and Pete Moore were on hand to capture Mr. Mercer's Last Hurrah in such great style."
Perfection
C. M. Vanover | Nashville, TN United States | 01/07/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Genius. Buy it and feel fortunate to have the opportunity. You will never get more for your money with any music purchase. Ageless music and poetic lyrics."
