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I have been a fan of Matt Monro since he recorded "From Russia With Love". What a great voice he has. It is truly a shame that he died at such an early age. This cd is one of the best of all cds. He really has a great delivery on his songs. The material that he uses is out of sight. I have always thought of Matt was a cross between Frank Sinatra and Steve Lawrence. Anyway i think anyone who loves the sound of a great crooner should buy this cd. It will not disappoint.

Those of us who have been Matt Monro fans for decades know his voice was a one-of-a-kind sound, recognizable after a couple of notes, and not to be compared with any other singer. There is also a purity to his interpretations that has seldom been equaled; it is the song that is emphasized, not the singer, with few flourishes in the phrasing or deviation from what is on the sheet of music.
The velvety quality of his voice, with its hint of smokiness, is intoxicating, and one of my favorite attributes of a Matt Monro song is his flawless enunciation; other virtues are superb breath control and the sincerity of his delivery. He was able to convey deep emotion, and still keep his simple style of performing a song.

The compositions in this collection are fabulous, and include perfect renditions of many of my most loved melodies, like "Autumn Leaves", "Ebb Tide", "September Song", and one of the best soundtrack songs ever written and one that was sung by Monro in the film, the John Barry/Lionel Bart "From Russia With Love".
Other standout performances in this CD of mostly mellow ballads include "Time After Time" (Styne/Cahn), and "Laura" (Raskin/Mercer).
The foldout insert has some excellent liner notes by Joseph Laredo, giving a nice bio of Monro (1930-1985), from his birth and difficult youth in the East End of London, to his association with George Martin, and a rundown of what songs were to find their place on the charts, in the U.S. and Britain.

These recordings were made between 1961 and 1966, with most of the arrangements done by Johnnie Spence, who also conducts the orchestra, and are lovely and lush. The sound is good, and total playing time is 53'11.
I have always felt Monro was one of the most underrated singers of the 20th century, and I hope compilations like this will continue to find him new fans, and that his musical legacy will live on, for as long a people appreciate the beauty of an exquisite voice, and the artistry that was exemplified in Matt Monro.

That's what I said when I heard just about every track on here. I'd never heard of Matt Monro, so when I went looking for a particular song which I had thought was Frank Sinatra ("Real Live Girl"), Matt Monro's name kept turning up. So I listened to the wav file and lo and behold, that was the version I was looking for. According to the liner notes, his similarity to Sinatra was what helped launch his career, as Peter Sellers wanted a Sinatra imitator for a record he was making. Monro is not a ripoff artist, though, because even though his voice sounds similar, he still uses vocal tricks and signatures that make him his own voice.

These recordings are excellent renditions of the standards, plus a few songs I hadn't heard anywhere else. The sound quality is excellent. The liner notes have some biographical information about Matt Monro. There are some great ballroom dance songs to be found on here, and some beautiful ballads. What else do you really need to know?

Highly recommended.

I've always loved the standards and I was a little suprised I had never heard of Matt Monro up until a few years ago. Now i'm convinced he's the most underrated singer I ever heard. His voice is pure velvet. Nothing against the other great voices of our time, ( Sinatra, Dino, Bennett ), but there's something about Matt's voice that reaches you. I'm down to buying an entire CD because there's one song on it I don't have. Try this guy and you won't be sorry.

Matt had a voice as good as any singer from that era. Any one over fifty would love his singing style, brings back the good old days

Spotlight On Matt Monro gives us just that--a spotlight on the incredible singing talent of Matt Monro. Matt sang with true passion and he gave his all to make himself popular with his adoring audiences; that's pretty special. Matt turned out many a tune in his time; and this CD has just a few of the songs he sang so masterfully. The quality of the sound is nothing short of excellent; and I like that artwork even if it is standard for this CD series.

"My Kind Of Girl" starts the album off with a sublime number that Matt delivers with all the grace and polish of the most accomplished of performers. Yes, there is a similarity between Matt's voice and Sinatra's; but it doesn't diminish the value of Matt's work and it certainly doesn't interfere with the high quality of Frank Sinatra's work, either. Great! "I'm Glad There Is You" is a tender love song that Matt sings with a lot of feeling; and those strings are used to great advantage. "I'm Glad There Is You" is a very fine number; and listen for "I Get Along Without You Very Well (Except Sometimes)." "I Get Along Without You Very Well (Except Sometimes)" showcases just how well Matt could sing a song about a past love; he does this with panache and he never lets go of a superfluous note.

"When I Fall In Love" charms me with its beauty; Matt sings this so very well and any emerging vocalists should study just how well Matt performed songs like this one. "Laura" is very pretty; and "Time After Time" shines in Matt Monro's more than capable hands. Wow! "Autumn Leaves" always make me tear up a bit; it's a stunning song about a past love that truly delves into the feelings of the person left behind when their lover has gone.

"When Sunny Gets Blue" gets the royal treatment from Matt Monro; the music sounds so sweet with Matt's vocals. Wisely, however, the musicians never steal the spotlight from Matt Monro--he is squarely front and center and his excellent diction enhances his performance all the more! "From Russia With Love" is truly special when Matt does this one up right; and I really like "Stardust." "Stardust" is a classic pop tune that Matt infuses with so much passion that it sounds new and fresh; I think you'll agree that "Stardust" is a major highlight of this album. "This Is All I Ask" is a thoughtful, pretty number; and listen for Matt Monro to outdo even himself on "The Good Life." "The Good Life" has Matt singing without a single off note while the strings and the percussion make the number even stronger. The album ends very nicely, too, with Matt Monro performing "September Song." This ballad again shows just how tenderly Matt could deliver a song. I know it also leaves me wanting more!

Matt Monro shared his talent with us; and we are all so much better off for it. Matt Monro is one of those exceptionally gifted artists who come along only very rarely; you can tell it's true when he sings anything and makes it sound amazingly special. I highly recommend this CD for Matt Monro's fans; and people who enjoy classic pop vocals will definitely want this album. Hopefully this CD will come back into print soon.

This man simply has a flawless singing voice--there's virtually no room for improvement. Add to that Monro's phrasing, breath support, sensitivity to the requirements of a lyric, and it's enough to make you wonder what all that other fuss was about--you know, the "British invasion" and the Beatles and Stones.

This Spotlight collection is a nice presentation--well documented, good audio, a brief bio, an excellent, representative collection of songs with an especially strong finish ("When Joanna Loved Me," "This Is All I Ask," and "The Good Life" are practically too much of a good thing in rapid succession).

It might be a bit more accurate to compare Monro with Nat Cole than Sinatra. Both Mat and Nat were chain smokers--and it killed them. Very likely their vocal timbre was affected by the nasty habit--and for the better, contributing to a mellowed, slightly (undeniably compelling) "musky" quality. Neither Monro nor Cole plumbs the emotional depths and reaches the dramatic heights of a Sinatra but, unlike the frequently challenging Sinatra, both invite near-universal, non-controversial approval.

It probably should be noted that the arrangements, while serviceable, are not up to the artful level of a Nelson Riddle or Britain's own Robert Farnon. At times, the violins throb excessively, the quickened tempo or gratuitous "beat" threatens to sabotage songs like "Laura" and "When Joanna Loved Me," the reverb seems a bit overdone, and the mixing is inconsistent in the amount of "presence" it affords the voice. Sinatra's view of the long-playing record format not as a "collection" of good songs and performances but as an integral "suite" no doubt contributed to the powerful impact and lasting, memorable impression of his recordings, even when--as is now the case--the albums are "parted out" into mp3 tracks and downloads. Regardless, Matt Monro's is a voice that comes along no more than once every two or three decades. It must not be missed.

Matt Monro has been called the British Sinatra-and he certainly gets close! Although some of the 60s-ish arrangements can be cloying and campy at times, tunes such as "Real Live Girl", "When Joanna Loved Me" and "My Kind of Girl" are classics worth owning.