8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I'm "Personally" "Mad" About This Album!, April 15, 2003
This review is from: Mad Twenties / My Personal Property (Audio CD)
I received this Cd as a Christmas present, and it honestly has been played just about everyday. Here we have two totally different albums combined and it provides us with two different sides of Short. Of the two my favorite is "The Mad 20's". I guess if for any reason it's because I'm more familiar with those songs, that's the kind of music I like. But, "My Person Property" did introduce me to Cy Coleman, now, one of my favorite composers. I only knew Coleman through Sinatra songs like "The Best Is Yet To Come" & "Witchcraft". But almost every song on that album is enjoyable. I absolutely love " You Fascinate Me So". I never heard a song so sophisticated. How on Earth Carolyn Leigh managed to come up with such rhymes is beyond me. It's one of Coleman's best. Standard songs off the Coleman albums are; "The Best Is Yet To Come", "Wicthcraft","Hey Look Me Over",& "Rules of the Road". But the umfamiliar songs as I said are wonderful too. "I've Got Your Number" has a very good arrangment behind it. "Its" is a swinging song. And the title track is charming as well. I do though prefer his arrangment on the album "Songs of New York" over the one heard of here.
"The Mad 20's" has Short with a sort of New Orleans style band. The albums starts off fast with Harry Warren's "Nagasaki", and never really lets up. Now, where Short was probably a bit more romantic on the other album, due to the song material, the Short heard on "The Mad 20's" is the kind of Short you'll hear when you see him in Cafe Caryle's. It's fun and energetic. Short sounds like he's having a good time. Some of my favorite tracks are "Changes", has a very 1920's sound to it. "Tiger Rag", "Sweet So and So", I can only imagine one of the few songs Ira Gershwin wrote without George, when he was alive & "Heebie Jeebies" and there's even room for a quick Louis Armstrong impersonation. All Bobby Short fans should enjoy the album. Those not too familiar with Short might only like "My Personal Property". Here we have two of Short's best early albums, and I'm glad his recordings are now starting to de reissued on Cd.
Bottom-line: Two of Bobby Short's best albums. A must have for fans. And a good choice of those just starting to discover Short.
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