Rosemary Clooney - 16 Biggest Hits

sublime---BRAVO, ROSEMARY CLOONEY !!!

Sixteen (16) Biggest Hits is a very strong Rosemary Clooney CD that showcases Rosemary in excellent form during the 1950s. Each track has excellent sound quality and the artwork is very well done.

"The Ole House" starts the album with Rosemary singing better than ever; and her excellent timing and diction bolsters her performance. The backup vocals help the song along but make no mistake about it--this is Rosemary's number, not anyone else's! The musical accompaniment makes good use of the guitar and percussion. "Tenderly" features Rosemary singing a much slower, romantic tune that she makes timeless with her sublime interpretation of this ballad. The strings enhance the beauty of "Tenderly" and I really like "Tenderly" a lot. It's perfect for slow dancing with your sweetheart in your living room!

"Half As Much" is another charming romantic number that showcases Rosemary's excellent vocal range; she sings this so well it sounds like I'm listening to silk! The strings help to carry the song along very well. Listen also for "Hey There;" Rosemary makes this a masterpiece in her capable hands. This love song shines like gold and I could never tire of hearing Rosemary Clooney singing "Hey There." "In The Cool, Cool, Cool Of The Evening" also gets a fine treatment from Rosemary who delivers this peppy little tune with panache--great brass, too!

"Come On-A My House" has a stunning arrangement; and Rosemary never misses a beat! "Blues In The Night" with Percy Faith & His Orchestra sounds beautiful when Rosemary sings this song, too. "Botch-A-Me (Ba-Ba-Baciami Piccina)" is a playful tune that doesn't take itself too seriously--it's not as bad as some may say. I love that keyboard sound--I think it's a harpsichord.

"Mambo Italiano" never came off better than when Rosemary sang it; she delivers this like the pro she always was! The Mellomen make a great backup group for Rosemary on "Mambo Italiano," too. Sophisticated Lady is yet another huge hit when Rosemary sings it; the musical arrangement uses the brass and strings to great advantage. The album ends with a marvelous version of "From This Moment On;" Rosemary sings this Cole Porter song with grace--not to mention all her heart and soul. It's an excellent ending for this album.

Rosemary Clooney rightly deserves much credit for being one of the greatest entertainers of the twentieth century. This fine CD gives us a great sampling of her vocal talents. Casual fans will be enchanted by this album; and people who enjoy classic pop vocals will also appreciate this CD. Diehard fans may want to consider box sets instead of this album; two suggestions are the box set entitled The Songbook Collection and Songs From The Girl Singer-A Musical Autobiography.
March 21, 2008

Rosemany Clooney

Rosemary Clooney was one of the most popular singers in the Fifties and can still sing better than many of the current so-called singers of today. A great talent! January 29, 2008

Never Less Than Five Stars For Rosie

I have yet to come across a Rosemary Clooney LP, single or CD that fails to please. Hers is one of the most distinctive, pleasant voices of the 20th Century.

From 1951 to 1960 she chalked up 31 hit singles as a solo artist or in conjunction with other artists like Guy Mitchell [her first hit in 1951 - You're Just In Love], Marlene Dietrich [Too Old To Cut The Mustard in 1952]; and Gene Autry [The Night Before Chrismas Song in 1952]. Before that she sang with Tony Pastor & His Orchestra. along with her sister Betty, and appeared on several of his big hits.

Although this CD contains several of her hits, including the wonderful You'll Never Know done in 1953 with the late, great Harry James, I bought it for one item: Memories Of You. Billed to The Benny Goodman Trio with Rosemary Clooney, and from the hit movie The Benny Goodman Story, this made it to # 20 early in 1956 and is one of the hardest to find of all her hits. In fact, try and find it anywhere else!

Normally I wouldn't assign 5 stars to any CD without liner notes, nor one that states "16 Biggest Hits" and then includes several songs that failed to chart [In The Cool, Cool, Cool Of The Evening, The House Of Singing Bamboo, Sophisticated Lady, and From This Moment On]. But hey, this is Rosie. Besides, the afore-mentioned songs SHOULD have charted, and as far as liner notes go, the track listings inside are comprehensive enough to compensate.

Get it while you can. September 11, 2007

A MUST-HAVE Album!

For anybody who loves great classic music from the 50's and 60's, This Is a MUST-HAVE for you!

All of Rosie's hits from her "first" career are here, so this single album "does it" for this portion of her career!

Then, for the BEST that she ever did, although in a completely different "vein" as it were, you need to check out her GREAT releases on the "Concord Jazz" label.

However, the later stuff is for another "review" ... the subject here is this album. A GREAT GREAT album, and a LOT of FUN to revisit these great, great hits from my childhood! ~operabruin August 22, 2007

Greatest hits?

Sure, they're all recognizable, but I think that a much better anthology of her work might be found elsewhere. Still, if you're trying to beef up your Big Band/50's Jazz collection (as I was when I impulsively added this to my shopping cart), this isn't a bad CD. Only Botch-A-Me didn't make it onto my ipod, and now I can have fun looking for more Rosemary CD's to buy. May 19, 2007

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