Customer Reviews

Jerry Vale Sings the Great Hits of Nat King Cole

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Supposedly recorded in 1972, this album is not one of Jerry Vale's better recordings. Some of the songs are re-recordings that shouldn't have happened. His original 60's recordings of "Too Young", "Smile", "Mona Lisa", and "Pretend" are 1000 times better than these later up-tempo re-recordings. He sounds uninterested as though he can't wait to finish the recordings so he can go home. He even cracks on a couple of the lower notes. The typical Jerry Vale UMPH is non-existant. I recommend this CD ONLY if you're an avid Jerry Vale fan. Otherwise I recommend ALL of his OTHER CDs.

I must firmly disagree with the previous reviewers. This is a splendid album. It is very difficult to take on the Nat King Cole repertory. You simply have to accept the fact of how beautifully and completely Nat interpreted those songs. For instance, I have a Nat King Cole tribute CD by Marvin Gaye that is quite pleasant, but basically just tries to step into Nat's musical shoes. This Jerry Vale CD is quite different. It attempts to update Cole's hits to the musical values of the pop world in the early '70's. The arrangements are fast and peppery, with little room for sentimentality. They suit Jerry Vale's voice like a glove. He is suave, and, especially in Walking My Baby Back Home, even witty. If you want to hear the great Cole hits done as they would have been done in the '50's, this album definitely is not for you. If you want to hear some great new takes on old standards, I think you'll like this CD. It is rather short, but everything on it is marvelous.

I almost stopped buying Vale cds after this it is just plain awful of course ive always considered Vale to be FANTASTIC SINGER but junk like this or the album entitled till these are just BAAAAAAD.His main problem are the arrangements its always been the arrangements thats always kept him behind both in the industry and pop charts but he is good and ill still buy his albums if IF there good.