Songsmith From Savannah

Johnny Mercer (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 11, 2003)
• Original Release Date: 2003
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Collector's Choice
• ASIN: B00006RYIA
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #237,513 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. On The Atchison, Topeka & The Santa Fe

2. G.I. Jive

3. Lazy Bones

4. Accentuate The Positive

5. Moon River

6. Satin Doll

7. Jamboree Jones

8. Sweetheart Tree

9. Something's Gotta Give

10. Two Of A Kind

11. Autumn Leaves

12. Jeepers Creepers

Editorial Reviews

He’s probably best known for founding Capitol Records and penning countless hit tunes, but Johnny Mercer was also a heckuva singer, and here on this Collectors’ Choice Music exclusive—one of the few Mercer CDs available--Johnny’s joined by a couple of pretty fair singers in their own right, Helen O’Connell and Bobby Troup! Hop on board with Johnny and his jazzy combo for "On the Atchison, Topeka & the Santa Fe," "G.I. Jive," "Lazy Bones," "Accentuate the Positive," "Moon River," "Satin Doll," "Jamboree Jones," "Sweetheart Tree," "Something’s Gotta Give," "Two of a Kind," "Autumn Leaves" and "Jeepers Creepers."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice later collection of Mercer, August 30, 2007

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MusicFilm Fan (Wash., DC) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Songsmith From Savannah (Audio CD)

This short (30-minute) CD is a nice collection of Mercer (joined occasionally by Helen O'Connell and fellow songsmith Bobby Troup) singing Johnny's own songs, backed by a small jazz combo. There's no session information, but I'd guess that the album is from the mid-60s, since it includes 60s movie songs like "Moon River" (from Breakfast at Tiffany's) and the heartwarming "Sweetheart Tree" (from The Great Race). Even though this record is from later in Mercer's career, he's still in good voice, and the jazz players behind him support him very ably. If you want a more comprehensive collection of Mercer's jazz-based sides from his prime years of the 40s (when he was riding high as not only a singer and major songwriter, but also a founder of Capitol Records), check out the excellent 3-CD set that just came out in Mosaic Records' "Select" series. But there's no overlap here, so this disc is also well worth it for Mercer fans who want to hear his rich voice with a jazz backing. (I'd give this five stars for the performance alone, but the CD mastering -- which seems to have a pretty abrupt start on the first song -- is quite acceptable but not great.)

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing Mercer, June 23, 2010

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Discerning Listener (New York City) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Songsmith From Savannah (Audio CD)

As a huge Johnny Mercer fan, I was looking forward to this outing with jazz players, but it's a strange mixed bag. No recording dates are given, but the quality of sound varies as do the instrumental accompaniments. The most satisfying tracks are the duets with Helen O'Connell ("Accentuate the Positive" & Two of a Kind") & oddly enough, Bobby Troup ("Jamboree Jones") whose presence suggests that perhaps his piano and group are providing at least some, if not all of the backings. Mercer does not sing "Moon River" or "Autumn Leaves" leaving these lyrics to O'Connell alone. His solos here often seem tired and lackluster rather than just laid-back. There are much better versions of Mercer's solo tunes available - the originals on Capitol's "Collector's Series" for example. The Mosaic set referenced by another reviewer appears to be instrumental settings by Al Cohn - at least that's all I heard on Amazon's samples. But then, it's hard to have too much Johnny Mercer in any format!