Customer Reviews

The Best of the Definitive American Songbook: I-Z

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Short review here...

After listening to this set of two discs (A-I and J-Z), I was really pleased with the cross section of artists they served up. I was not real happy with the song selections though. There are far, far better songs done by each artist that could more effectively capture what this set was trying to accomplish.

I do have one serious critique of disc A-I: what were they thinking when they put Willie Nelson's "Blue Eyes" on there??? I started to sing that Sesame Street song "One of these is not like the other...". Maybe it was an error or oversight, but either way, detracted from the disc.

This collection will take you back to the yesteryears, but other recordings can do it much better.

These tracks were clearly chosen by someone who loves this music. The repertoire is familiar, but the recordings are mostly ones I have not heard before. It's Judy Garland on "Over the Rainbow," but an older Judy, not the track from the movie. And Dean Martin singing "On the Street Where You Live?!" Much more fun to hear than I would ever have imagined. If you want a fresh look at some of your favorite tunes, I can recommend this collection.

This may look like a great buy, but in fact these are for the most part second rate performances that don't do the songs or their historical period justice. Many sound like they're off the cuting room floor and others are simply "filler".

This album set I found to be pretty decent for those who want to try some Classic American songs. I sure wish that there was a 3rd to this series!