Customer Reviews

16 Most Requested Songs

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Dinah may now be remembered more as a TV star, but she was one of the most successful female pop singers of the 1940's. This collection and it's companion volume, 16 greatest hits Encore!, contain all the essential hits that Dinah recorded for Columbia from 1946 to 1950. Some lesser hits have been omitted to allow the inclusion of some high quality recordings (like Willow weep for me) that were not hits - perhaps they were B-sides.

Dinah's biggest hit, the lightweight but brilliant Buttons and bows (#1 for ten weeks), opens this collection, which includes the major hits Shoo fly pie and apple pan dowdy (#6), The gypsy (#1), Doin' what comes naturally (#3), Dear hearts and gentle people (#2) and Baby it's cold outside (with Buddy Clark) (#4). Some of these songs faced stiff competition from other versions of the same song and it wasn't always Dinah's version that charted highest, but Dinah's versions are all of a high quality.

The 1940's were a particularly strong decade for female singers, but Dinah was certainly among the best of them. This CD and it's companion provide a wonderful introduction to her music.

Although I generally listen to jazz singers like Ella Fitzgerald, Lee Wiley, Sarah Vaughan, et. al. I think Dianh Shore was under-rated in the jazz world she cut two exellent session for Capital in the late 50's one with Andre Previn's Trio and the other with Red Norvo's big band. This CD features Dinah Shore in the 1940's backed by string orchestras, and mostly singing her hits, which most ended up being jazz standards ten years later like "Willow Weap For Me" "It's DeLovely" and "Georgia On My Mind." Dinah Shore is a capable singer when it come s to a good song or a jazz standard, and when put in a jazz setting she can dish out some good jazz singing. Buy this CD to sample her earlier work, who knows she might even surprise you and sing something really good.

I know I'm not the only person who's recently heard the lovely voice of Dinah Shore singing 'Shoo Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy' on a TV commercial. It reminded me how much I loved Dinah so I ordered this album. It's exactly what I hoped it would be...Dinah at her best, singing songs I remember and love. And to top it off, the liner notes are excellent.

An excellent album, 16 beautiful songs sung only the way Dinah can sing them. And digitally remastered to boot! These were the songs I practically grew up with. My grandparents and parents had a few records and always watched any telly shows that featured her during the late 60's through 70's. Although during the 70's I would never admit to liking these songs...kids can be so silly at times. But I grew up, and learned to appreciate this music, love it even. I was familiar with a lot of these songs before I bought this album, and a lot of them bring back pleasant memories. Recommended!

I absolutely love this CD. I entertain at a nursing home and use CDs to sing along with. Most of the residents knew the songs that Dinah was singing so the show turned into a marvelous sing-along. The CD arrived quickly and in excellent condition.

This album in the "16 Most Requested Songs" CD series features great songs by the talented songbird Dinah Shore. Dinah sang very well--so well, in fact, that she enjoyed a decades long recording career that paired her up with the best of them. Dinah's voice is still very pretty and even enchanting all these years later; and that's grand. The quality of the sound is really rather good considering the age of these recordings; but that artwork has GOT to go! Do they mean to tell me that they couldn't draw a more flattering picture of Dinah? Thankfully, it's the music we're after and it's great music that we get.

"Buttons And Bows" is a tune from Dinah's earlier days but it still sounds pretty good! Dinah recorded this tune with "Her Happy Valley Boys;" and although I'm not familiar with them they round out the arrangement very well. "Georgia On My Mind" is absolutely wonderful when Dinah sings it; her voice is quite full and she's able to convey every last nuance of all the emotions in this song. Great! "Dear Hearts And Gentle People" places Dinah Shore squarely front and center for this folksy/country flavored ballad. Dinah never skips a beat and I'm very impressed.

"Willow Weep For Me" is very pretty; and Dinah handles those tempo changes perfectly. "There'll Be Some Changes Made" showcases Dinah's sultry vocalizing and "There'll Be Some Changes Made" is certainly a major highlight of this album. I love it! The music fits in perfectly without ever drowning out Dinah and it all holds its own very well. Listen also for "Shoo Fly Pie And Apple Pan Dowdy;" Dinah sings this very sweetly and it's also a highlight of this CD.

"Doin' What Comes Natur'lly" shines like gold when Dinah sings it; and that male backup chorus helps out nicely. The strings enhance the arrangement, too. "The Gypsy" has always been one of my favorite classic pop vocal tunes; and just one listen will tell you just how well Dinah could deliver this ballad and put her stamp on it to make it all her own. There's also "It's De Lovely" with its big band style arrangement; Dinah sings this with all her heart and soul; and her positive energy comes through right away when you hear her sing this number.

"They Didn't Believe Me" showcases Dinah's ability to sing a love song alongside the best of them; and the album ends with Dinah Shore performing "Baby, It's Cold Outside" with Buddy Clark. "Baby, It's Cold Outside" has been performed by many artists but Dinah's version is quite solid.

Dinah Shore never disappointed her fans and this makes a great starter CD for people just discovering her artistry. Dinah could take a song and deliver it with panache to make it all her own; and that's very special. I recommend this album.

Dinah Shore was a classic kind of pop singer, with an easy to appreciate voice and sensitive, imaginative phrasing. The cuts on this CD are from the late 78 rpm era, but the transfers are very good and the sound quality rarely detracts from the performances. In the pop standards on this album, such as Georgia On My Mind by Hoagy Carmichael, They Didn't Believe Me by Jerome Kern, and Willow Weep For Me, Shore is among the best singers ever to record this repertoire, including Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. The only reason I did not give this CD five stars is that a number of the songs fall into the category of silly novelty items that were highly popular in this period. Shore sings all of them well, and doesn't make more of the material than is really there, but there are only so many times you can listen to someone singing the phrase Dilly Dilly over and over again. In this respect, the Dinah Shore Encore! CD in this series from Columbia has a better selection of songs and the same high standards of performance. I should note that the final selection on the disc, a duet with Buddy Clark on Baby It's Cold Outside, is beautifully done and ever so slightly lubricious. For Dinah Shore fans, with reservations as previously noted, this CD is probably essential listening.