Customer Reviews

Til Morning / Sinner I Am

5 star:		(4)
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Johnnie really shows why he was so unique. He manages to get away from his "greatest hits" type of songs and sings a collection of beautiful standards, twelve songs with a small jazz combo and twelve with a big band with some great (I mean really great!!!) arrangements. As usual, Johnnie gives them his personal touch and individual phrasing and makes each song his own. His "All the Way" and "Don't Worry About Me" are certainly as good as those versions by Frank Sinatra which became big hits. This is a great collection and a "must" for any fan of Johnnie.

Johnnie Ray was a 'singing sensation' before I even made it to high school, but I was never overly impressed with his melodramatic renderings of "Cry," "The Little White Cloud That Cried," "Just Crying In The Rain," etc etc. But in the late 60's, as an adult, I saw him perform at a night club (the Embers in Indianapolis) and was certainly impressed with his transformation to great entertainer status. Actually, he was the greatest live on stage performer I had seen since Garland. And the songs on this CD (a combination of two of his later-day albums) display the warmth, emotion, and genuine talent the man possessed. "My Ideal," "Nevertheless I'm in Love With You," "Day By Day," "September Song," and "A Hundred Years From Today" certainly give us enough 'drama,' but also plenty of sincere, low-key, heart-felt style to please even the most radical fans. He was an Original....he really was.

This collection is the best example that I've heard that shows us why Johnnie Ray's music survives. He will never sound like anyone else because of his phrasing and personal style. I felt like I was in a small club listening to him perform and was particularly taken with this version of "Give Me Time" and "Tell The Lady I Said Goodbye". He gives the lyrics his own stamp and draws us into them. Wonderful CD.

This re-issue of two albums on one CD is a collection that all fans of "The Cry Guy" will enjoy forever, especially with the rarity of "A Sinner Am I" in the states!