Search - Nat King Cole :: Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer

Nat "King" Cole is at his best--but they used that chorus a

Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 11/15/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It's certainly no secret that Nat "King" Cole was a polished performer who charmed his adoring audiences; and this CD showcases just a tiny few of Nat "King" Cole's many terrific songs! There's a distinct summertime theme to this album; the tracks flow into one another to make this quite a cohesive album at that! The quality of the sound is superb and that artwork is some of the best I've seen in a while.



The track set starts with the energetic, upbeat and infectiously catchy title song; Nat sings this with panache; and although he gets fine vocal backup he certainly never actually needed it--but they do sound good. "Get Out and Get Under the Moon" is both fun and romantic in a very positive way; this is Nat singing at his very best and he never lets go of a single superfluous note. I love it. Nat even manages to make the old standard "On a Bicycle Built for Two" sound fresh, although I wish that the arrangement used the backup choir much less. "That Sunday, That Summer" was reportedly one of President Kenney's favorites when Nat "King" Cole sang it; it's most romantic and the somewhat faster than normal tempo still works well for this classic ballad.



"On The Sidewalks of New York" is another old standard that Nat breathes new life into; he delivers this with enthusiasm and that's grand. "After The Ball Is Over" is easy on the ear; and I really like "That's What They Meant (By the Good Old Summertime)." What a fine, nostalgic tune to have on this CD!



"Don't Forget" is another rather catchy tune although I still wish Nat "King" Cole had more of the spotlight to himself; once again the chorus is used a bit too much. Don't get me wrong--"Don't Forget" is a great number; but it's Nat "King" Cole I want to hear, not him having to share the spotlight with the background chorus! "In the Good Old Summertime" is very well done; and the album ends with a splendid "Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer."



If you choose to download the MP3 version of this album you'll get two tracks of "Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer;" the closing track was remastered in 1994 in addition to the first MP3 of this song which was remastered in 1990.



Nat "King" Cole is at his very best here; there's no doubt about that. I know that for a while many albums were released with a backup chorus and people liked it, I would suppose. To my mind the only flaw with this album is that the chorus is pushed too far to the front; and so I'll give this a four star rating instead of five stars. Nat's vocals should come first; he shouldn't ever have to share the stage with any chorus! At any rate, I still recommend this album for fans of the great Nat "King" Cole; and anyone who enjoys classic summertime tunes will get a kick out of listening to this album."

Nat King Cole Cd Review

Steven Pbaird | East Hartford Ct | 02/02/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I highly recommend ! Just like everything else Nat King Cole recorded this is excellent.



As I Say (THE BEST THINGS ARE THE OLDER THINGS) No singer that I know of and I'm 57 knows how to interpret songs in such a clear voice as Nat King Cole. Bear records again did a great job on this disk.



Steve Baird"