Customer Reviews

Forever Cool

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I tend to be a little leery of duets that pair current singers with deceased ones. There's so much potential for the pairings to fall incredibly flat. Happily, Forever Cool is a duets album done right. The disc pairs vocal performances of Dean Martin in his prime with artists such as Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Kevin Spacey, Chris Botti, Robbie Williams, and Joss Stone, to name a few. Kevin Spacey is featured on two tracks, "Ain't That a Kick in the Head" and "King of the Road." He's comfortable singing swing music and it shows -- his surprising vocal chops and talent for vocal mimicry (first displayed in his performance as Bobby Darin in Beyond the Sea) is so good that there are moments where I had difficulty distinguishing his voice from Martin's. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy swings with Dino on two tracks -- "Who's Got the Action?" and "You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You" -- the latter featuring Shelby Lynne. Lynne & Martin's duet is one of the highlights of the album -- she does a really fabulous job of entering into the spirit of the project, so much so that it's easy to imagine her actually performing with Martin -- her playful give and take with his vocal is expertly balanced. On "Baby, It's Cold Outside" Martina McBride's famous "big" voice is held in check and she delivers a wonderful, playful vocal as remarkable for its restraint as much as its crystalline purity. Robbie Buchanan's duet on "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone" is also outstanding -- Buchanan's vocal complements Dino well.

There are a few slight missteps. I love Joss Stone's unique voice, but her vocal on "I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me" is one of the weaker cuts on the album. Her voice sounds strained and "breathy" at times, as if she's forcing herself to sing in an uncomfortable register. Nonetheless, it stands far above the gross misstep that is the Paris Bennett track, "Baby-O." Please. Honestly it's a embarrassing to hear Martin's sublime voice mixed with Bennett's squeaky vocal. Renee Olstead would've been a much better duet partner for this track in my opinion.

The instrumental duets are among the best tracks on the album and some of my favorites. My favorite track is, not surprisingly, "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" with trumpeter Chris Botti (this track will also be featured on Botti's upcoming Italia album, set to release September 25th). Botti is a master at accompanying vocalists (as evidenced on his own duets album, To Love Again). He's an expert at complementing a vocal, and the fact that duet with Martin sounds so real, so convincing, is a testament to his skill as a performer. It's a great track, very classy. Dave Koz's saxaphone duet on "Just In Time" is likewise wonderful ear candy...I'm not really familiar with his music, but his performance here has piqued my interest.

Kudos to the performers and the production team for delivering such a classy, well done, polished tribute CD. Can I just throw out one idea? There needs to be a Sinatra version of Forever Cool. Let's face it -- the Duets albums he recorded in the early '90s did not feature him at the peak of his vocal abilities, and some of the arrangements are a tad dated. Forever Cool combines snappy, swinging, timeless arrangments and worthy duet partners (for the most part) with Dean Martin in his best vocal form. If a Sinatra project was executed with the same production values, I'd be a very happy woman. (FYI: Target sells Forever Cool with a bonus track -- a duet with The 5 Browns on "Everybody Loves Somebody.")

Dino is rolling over in his grave. Easily the worst collection of remakes ever assembled. The accompaniment is bad, and the canned 'new' band worse.
Gone is the lush sound of the original recordings, added are the vocals of what most would considered B-List vocal artists at best.

Resist the temptation to buy this CD. This whole thing is a musical felony!

Well-intentioned but ultimately disappointing, Dean Martin's "Forever Cool" (2007) offers posthumous duets with contemporary artists ranging from Martina McBride to Joss Stone. What works are the instrumental touches - notably Big Bad Voodoo Daddy's ultra-swinging "Who's Got the Action?" and Dave Koz's smooth sax licks on "Just in Time." In the vocal department, only Paris Bennett's "Baby-O" has any punch. Though an intriguing concept, the digital pairings with Charles Aznavour and Kevin Spacey come across as contrived gimmicks. Dino's a cappella rendition of "Brahms' Lullaby" makes for an effective closer. Hopefully, the Dean Martin Family Trust will assemble a genuine duets album featuring Nat King Cole, Peggy Lee, Sammy Davis Jr. and, of course, Frank Sinatra. Now THAT would be something!

This album is, in a word, Sensational.
I have many Dean Martin albums and this one rates as close as the best as you can get.
I am very happy with the album and the service of amazon.
Cheers
Jeff

This is a great CD. I just bought it and can't stop listening to it. The songs all sound new and fresh-as if they were just made. The orchestration has been updated in all of the songs along with adding the new duet arrangements. I especially liked the female duets like Baby its cold Outside with Martina McBride and Baby O with Paris Bennett (of American Idol). The new saxophone enhanced versions of Just in Time and I've grown accustomed to her face are amazing. This is a must have CD for any Dean Martin fan and for any fan of big band music.

This CD has many standards with duets. Some of my favorite songs are: Who Was That Lady which is the theme from the movie of the same name that Stars: Tony Curtis & wife at the time Janet Leigh. A great comedy. It's on DVD at amazon as a double feature of Dean Martin movies.
Another song is Baby-O which has a great duet.
Check it out for yourself. A good addition to any collection.

I really love this CD. I won't review each song; I generally agree with those reviewers here who rave about the CD. I am a fan of Dean Martin (and even more so of Frank Sinatra) and find that most of the Forever Cool versions are just as good, and sometimes better, than the classic versions. Take, for example, "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face." His original version from 1966 is slower and is accompanied by piano; it is wonderful, but not the source of the vocal for the 2007 CD. The 2007 version with Chris Botti on trumpet is a bit faster and just as, if not more, sublime. They are simply two different and great versions of the song, and I am grateful for the new version. The primary difference between the 1962 and 2007 versions of "Baby-O" is that the former uses a chorus, and the latter one singer (Martina McBride), to duet with Martin. Both versions are extremely upbeat and bring a smile to my face. I like the 1959 and 2007 versions of "Baby, It's Cold Outside" equally, although I must say that the new version has more personality and a more lively instrumental. I'll stop there to keep this review on the shorter side. If you like Dean Martin, and if you are not too much of a purist about these efforts, I believe that you will appreciate this CD very much.

I absolutley love this CD. unlike some I found the Paris Bennet duet young and alive. The Josh Stone version on the CD is interesting as the voices are so different they make for an interesting combo. The CD immediatley gets your attention with the upbeat "who's got the action". All the arrangements are interesting and the musicians who played on this did an amazing job. Listen to this CD everytime your down in the dumps and need to put a smile on your face. Yea Dino!2001: A Space Odyssey [Blu-ray]

This is an excellent compilation of
Dean Martin's songs. Fabulous quality and a great disc for reminiscing.
Well worth adding to a collection.

If you love Dino and want a different collection of his music, this is a most for your duets collection. I really enjoy listening to the cd.