Search - Jimmy Roselli :: Best of Jimmy Roselli

"ol' brown eyes"

Alejandra Vernon | Long Beach, California | 09/10/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Jimmy Roselli has often been dubbed "The other singer from Hoboken, N.J.", and though he is legendary in the Italian-American community, he has not always received a wide audience elsewhere. He is at his very best singing in Italian, and in this "Best of" collection, with the exception of one verse in both "Anema e Core" and "Innamorata", it is Italiano throughout.
Roselli has a huge voice, and he makes the most of his vocal range; it is also a voice with many colors, equally wonderful whether in a whisper or at full volume. His sings with his heart on his sleeve, emotionally interpreting these melodic tunes that many will find familiar."Mala Femmena" is a signature song for him, and it is grand. I have a special fondness for "Na Sera 'e Maggio", which is almost operatic, and has tender, lovely passages, but every song on this CD, for those that like old style Neopolitan music, is a delight.
Now in his late seventies, Roselli still has a large following, and has been big in the nightclub circuit, and this 1988 compilation will show why his fans love him. As with all of his CDs, there are no liner notes, only stating that Ralph Burns arranged and conducts 9 of the tracks; the sound is O.K., and the total time is 40'27. If you are only going to have one Roselli CD, this is a good one to get."