Customer Reviews

Kitty Kallen Story

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A persuasive band singer, Kitty Kallen never got the sustained record label support she needed to maintain a longterm solo career. She also was a wife and mother and put her family first, so that figured in too. Here's a collection which proves that with a band or solo she is a delightful vocalist with a lovely, pert voice; distinctive style; and starpower! As a person, Kitty has always been well-liked in show business; she's down-to-earth, very bright and has charm to spare. This collection finally gives her the recognition she has long deserved and you will love it!

Kitty has a wonderful voice, and this is a excellent collection of her recordings. Highly recommended to anyone, whether you are into Big Band/Pop, or not.

This is a fine compilation of the best work of a talented vocalist of the 1940's - 1960's and evokes wonderful memories. The material stands up well.

I don't think enough attention has been paid to one of the finest singers America has been fortunate enough to have. This two CD set gives the listener a great introduction (or retrospective, for seasoned fans) to Kitty's work. While I agree with the reviewer who writes that the collection of songs is a bit heavy on the latter part of Kallen's career, I believe it is an excellent collection nonetheless.

There are three songs Kitty sang with Jimmy Dorsey and his band ("When They Ask About You," "They're Either Too Young Or Too Old," "Besame Mucho.") which prove that Kallen was a real trooper since the liner notes indicate that she didn't always like working with Dorsey. The two CD set has 23 top 40 hits--very impressive. It's truly unfortunate that her health problems sidelined her way too much of the time.

I recommend this two CD set for her fans as well as the newcomer who wants a superb introduction to her fine work. The liner notes are well written and include photographs as well. PLEASE! Get this set! It's an excellent addition to your CD collection! GRIN

As the sultry songbird on the steamy WWII Harry James chart-topper, "It's Been A Long, Long Time," Kitty Kallen was one of the best-known and most adored big band singers. She did alright for herself as a solo artist as well, racking up several Top 40 hits until a bout of psychosomatic mic fright left her unable to sing for several years in the late 1950s. Later, after a brief early '60s comeback, other health problems permanently prevented her from continuing as a performer, sadly sidelining one of the purest voices American pop had heard in its formative heyday. This 2-CD set covers the breadth of Kallen's career, starting with her best-known hits from the early '40s, then topping those off with a perhaps-too-generous helping of later recordings, including several remakes of wartime favorites, rearranged in the '50s and '60s. This collection is definitely too light on her early work, but still pretty nice for anyone who wants to appreciate Kallen as a stylist in the pop vocals era, and it generously gathers material from several different labels. A nice set, certainly worth checking out, especially with the inclusion of some highly informative and entertaining liner notes that feature extensive interview quotes from Kallen herself... who was quite a character!

I can't blame people for thinking Kitty Kallen gave up singing for a family. It explains the lapse between years in her career. Actually Kitten stopped simply because she lost her voice. After a short comeback in the 60's Kitty had to quit because of developing blood clots in her throat. Poor Kitty not only did it happen to her once but twice.
If fate hadn't done her in, she would have developed into a fantastic singer but the little available is good enough. Unfortunately half of the songs in this cd are outdated. Despite this there are enough gems to make one realize that Kitty had an unique sweet voice. My favorite "I'm beginning to see the light" is a classic. After hearing the song, it's an automatic reaction of mine to press rewind. Her version of "My Coloring Book" was before Streisand's and I know I'm being risky saying this but Kallen's version is better.
Amazon has released another cd with "Honky Tonk Angel/If I gave my heart to you", all I can say is keep them coming.

Kitty represented the 40's love song to the hilt. Can anyone ever forget her vocals to Harry James' version of "It's Been A Long Time"? Forget it! Hers is the ONLY version worth remembering! Her voice had the same lush quality as Harry's horn and together, what a blending!

Kallen's rendition of My Coloring Book is the best! Her version of this song alone is worth the price of the cd.

While Kitty Kallen was not the biggest vocal star of her era, she was important in being one of the small number who had top-ten hits both as a 40s big-band singer and as a 50s pre-rock artist, having her last hit in 1963. This CD covers the entire range, starting with recordings she made with Jimmy Dorsey's and Harry James' big bands, and extending to that last 1963 hit ("My Coloring Book"). It includes her biggest 1950s hits ("Little Things Mean a Lot" and "In the Chapel in the Moonlight") and does justice to her big-band output. All in all, fans of 1940s or 1950s music need this collection.

Yet I could not give this CD set five stars, because I think it has one flaw. It could have been better done if it were chronologically arranged; in fact, the order goes back and forth from the 1940s to the 1950s, with her last hit (from the 1960s, as I said!) somewhere in the middle. Since there were periods when (for health reasons) she was not recording, a chronological arrangement would really give a much better picture of her career.

Since there is no better Kitty Kallen collection, get this one. But as I said, if I were doing it, I'd have put it together differently.

This gift came in time for Christmas, in spite of bad weather, and recipient was delighted with it.