Johnny Mercer - My Huckleberry Friend: Johnny Mercer Sings the Songs of Johnny Mercer

Mercer 5 Arrangements 2

Mercer was a songwriting genius and an excellent, swinging vocalist but as others have noted the arrangements here are often distractingly cheesy and dated. Recorded in the mid '70's they sound EXACTLY as if Mercer were guesting on Donny & Marie or The Tony Orlando & Dawn Show. Still, his lyrics and vocals triumph, and nowhere else that I've found do you get The Man Himself singing Summer Wind, which alone makes the CD worth your cash. May 20, 2008

To Those Who Find This Album Less Than Spectacular...

I find this album quite ideal. In contrast to the other listeners, I enjoy the peculiar arrangements. The Rhodes piano, the heavily fluted horn section, the wah-wah guitar - all make for a (dare I say "funky"?) relaxing, yet sophisticated sound, which is, despite is uniqueness, hardly "dated." As I earlier stated, I find the arrangements smooth, relaxing and sophisticated - just the way Mercer tunes were meant to sound. And to those accused the band of disco leanings simply because a few of the tunes were done in a lively, horn-heavy, 4/4 time signature, think again. Remember, Bobby Darin did "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby" in a very similar arrangement 13 years earlier! A 10 star album.

- Chuck April 30, 2008

Great songs suffer from 70's arrangements

Johnny Mercer was a gem, and these songs are all top flight standards, but too often the seventies horns and keyboards wash out the charm of Mercer's voice and these wonderful melodies. Since it was recorded in 1974, it might not be quite precise to refer to the arrangements as "disco," but these arrangements seem to try to appeal to seventies tastes and as such harken back more to that time than to when the pieces were written.

I really wanted to like this one, but it's just too underwhelming. As another reviewer mentions there could be enough here to satisfy when you skip over the disappointments, but you'll be much better off skipping this recording altogether and picking up Mercer's offering from the Capitol Collector's Series. That disc contains recording from the 40s and makes for a much more satisfying experience. September 6, 2007

Sweet, soft and easy!

This CD is a treat to own! Johnny Mercer was a very good singer-something not many people recognize! I would highly recommend this CD for people who enjoy great music by such composers as Harold Arlen (That Old Black Magic," "Come Rain or Come Shine") or Henry Mancini ("Moon River"). (Yes, these songs are on this CD.) I would agree with Joshua (another reviewer of this CD) when he says that some of the songs have a distinct `70s sound to them-but, then again, who cares? All the songs are performed very well-and if you like that `70s sound you will enjoy this album even more.

The liner notes are well written and there are a few very good photos of Mercer and some of his assistants at the time these songs were recorded in 1974. The sound quality is excellent.

Johnny Mercer CDs are not too easy to find; he didn't make many albums. This CD is an excellent portrait of Mercer's work as a singer. He was a very talented lyricist as many people know; now we can appreciate his fine talents even more as we hear him sing the wonderful lyrics he wrote! A BUY! GRIN July 14, 2004

Mercer Magic

My first encounter with Johnny Mercer, singer, was listening to his duets with Bing Crosby. It was a shock to realize that such a wondrous lyricist could also be a first-rate singer as well. His is a pleasant voice, very easy to listen to. And, of course, the fact that he the fact that he wrote the lyrics he sings gives his interpretation a certain authority no other singer can match. The arrangements are a bit dated (a disco beat on "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby" and "That Old Black Magic"?), but in spite of such egregious missteps (i just skip those tracks) this is still a CD well worth having. October 21, 2000

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