Search - Vic Damone :: On the Street Where You Live: Liveliest

Vic sings these songs without even trying--BRAVO, VIC DAMONE

Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 05/20/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"On the Street Where You Live/The Liveliest is an excellent "twofer" CD that has all the songs from two of Vic Damone's record albums entitled On The Street Where You Live and The Liveliest (At Basin Street East). This is one of Vic's better CDs in that we get some live tracks from when he performed live at Basin Street East; and his rapport with the audience is excellent. As another reviewer correctly notes, Vic sings at his usual very best; on the live tracks he talks a little bit but not very much as of course the album release was of his songs. In addition, the quality of the sound on this CD is excellent and I love that the artwork incorporates the original artwork from the record album releases.



The album begins with a studio recording of "On The Street Where You Live" from "My Fair Lady." Vic sounds terrific; I love the sound of his voice--you can hear the operatic qualities of his voice and I love it. "Younger Than Springtime" comes from "South Pacific;" and Vic aces this as effortlessly as if it were mere breathing. Those strings add a lot to the musical accompaniment, too! "Tonight" comes from the musical "West Side Story;" I always liked this classic love song and Vic does this great justice. "Till There Was You" from "The Music Man" shines bright when Vic delivers it beautifully; he was born to sing ballads like this and that's grand.



"Maria" also comes from "West Side Story;" he sings this better than they did on stage or in film! Vic's excellent diction enhances his performance all the more; and listen for Vic to do an outstanding job on "The Sound Of Music" with a lush arrangement. There are some backup singers on "The Sound Of Music;" Vic didn't really need backup but they do sound good anyway. "You And The Night And The Music" has an incredible arrangement as Vic croons this beyond perfection--what a number! "When Your Lover Has Gone" shines bright, too; Vic sings this passionately and the musicians wisely remain in the background--Vic gets the spotlight which is exactly what he always deserves!



"What Kind Of Fool Am I?" sounds fresh and new when Vic sings it faultlessly; I think Sammy Davis, Jr. would have been just a wee bit jealous of Vic's interpretation of this number. In addition, "They Can't Take That Away From Me" gets the royal treatment from the great Vic Damone; and those musicians play a somewhat jazzy Vegas-style arrangement that complements Vic's singing very well. "The Most Beautiful Girl In The World" has Vic singing this out with a great deal of enthusiasm and passion yet again; and "I Left My Heart In San Francisco" is another huge highlight of this fine CD. How's about that horn?



"You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You" charms me as Vic croons this with lots of flair; it's all done THAT well. The CD ends very well with Vic Damone performing a live rendition of "On the Street Where You Live" from his engagement at Basin Street East. I love it!



Vic Damone never let his fans down. His live performances were nothing short of electric; this CD proves it. I highly recommend this album for Vic's fans; and people who enjoy classic pop vocals will cherish this CD for years to come.

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