Search - Keely Smith :: Keely Smith - The Best of The Capitol Years

Now THIS is wonderful words and music !!!

Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 05/27/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Keely Smith - The Best of The Capitol Years is a strong single CD compilation that demonstrates so well the fine artistry of Keely Smith. Keely could take just about any song--or even the phone book--and make it sound like the most beautiful piece of music you ever heard. The sound quality is excellent and the artwork is very nicely done as well. The arrangements by Billy May and Nelson Riddle just couldn't be better, either!



The CD starts with Keely Smith singing "Sweet And Lovely" with panache, heart and soul. This is a wonderful opening track that draws you in and it easily makes you want more right from the start. "Sweet And Lovely" showcases Keely's vocal talents well and the musical arrangement that accompanies her is excellent. "Cocktails For Two" shines just as brightly; Keely Smith sings this with all her might and just one listen proves it. The strings are used to great advantage, too. Listen also for a lovely interpretation of the famous tune, "I'll Get By." "I'll Get By" is a classic love song that moves me whenever I hear it; and Keely's rendition is definitely one of the better ones I've heard.



"Lullaby Of The Leaves" features Keely front and center--and that's OK by me! There's also the marvelously upbeat "On The Sunny Side Of The Street." I first heard this tune when Louis Armstrong performed it; but even Louis would be proud of how well Keely sings this without a superfluous note! "On The Sunny Side Of The Street" is one of my very favorite songs of all the classic pop vocal tunes out there. "I'll Never Smile Again" is a very pretty tune that Keely sings beautifully; and "All The Way" gets the royal treatment from Keely Smith as she sings this romantically with lots of heart and soul.



"I Wish You Love" has a wonderful chorus to backup and bolster Keely's performance; this number is very sweet and it works well when Keely breaks into the main lyrics of the song. "I Wish You Love" is a fantastic number. "You Go To My Head" also impresses me and I think that you'll enjoy "You Go To My Head" very much.



"Fools Rush In (Where Angels Fear To Tread)" places Keely Smith squarely in the spotlight--right where she belongs! Keely delivers this ballad with all her heart; and there's another fine performance when Keely sings "Imagination." "Imagination" is a very fine tune that doesn't get enough recognition these days--and that's a shame. The CD ends nicely with Keely Smith performing "When Day Is Done." "When Day Is Done" has another very pretty arrangement and it makes a great ending for this album.



Keely Smith fans will want this for their collections; it truly is chock full of great ballads by Keely! This is also a fine CD for fans of classic pop vocals.

"

The Quintessential Female Jazz Vocalist

P. Burdick | Oneonta, NY United States | 09/14/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Superb vocals, together with excellent big band arrangements and excellent song selections (I can't get enough of S'posin').



The more I listen to Keely's voice, the more I can hear almost every other notable female jazz vocalist's voice resident in hers (Keely's). Her vocals convey a purity and simplicity that's really hard to beat, together with intimate nuances that make each listen fresh and vibrant.



This album was actually my introduction to this great jazz/pop lady of Cherokee heritage. She's unseated Anita O'Day--a feat I had deemed impossible until now--as my favorite female jazz vocalist.



I think modern jazz/pop has lapsed into novelty, or vocal virtuosity, in lieu of the voice as an instrument serving musical beauty. Keely should be a lodestone and standard for today's jazz/pop meandering."

Best single-disc collection

Samuel Chell | Kenosha,, WI United States | 10/05/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you're looking for a disc representing the unparalleled singing of Keely Smith, this one is probably the best bet. The new "Essential Keely" is watered down with tracks from the night club act and a couple of duets with Sinatra (pick up the Chairman's "Come Dance with Me" instead). The "Spotlight" album is almost as focused and desirable as this one (especially at a "nice price"), but it excludes the sublime "When Day Is Done" (the studio version, from the first solo album, "I Wish You Love"). Of the tunes on this British import the only one I could do without is "Mr. Wonderful," a nostalgic '50s period piece that, like much of the material Keely did, is unworthy of her talents. On second thought, forget the single-disc solution. With a singer this consistently good, a bankable talent at any point in her career, you'll want to pick up at least one of her albums between the Capitols and the Concords as well as one of the albums from the present millennium."