PLEASING TRIBUTE TO POPULAR AMERICAN FIFTIES SONGBIRD
A. POLLOCK | PLYMOUTH, DEVON United Kingdom | 04/24/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"A plethora of rising songbirds was evident during the early 50's in the USA with most of them reliant on the growth of television and its musical variety shows to aid fame, fortune and sale of recordings. Lu Ann Simms (1933-2003), a protégé of the popular Arthur Godfrey, became a regular part of his prime time television show and with it came a contract with Columbia Records.
UK-based Flare Records has done us all a favour and dusted off no less then two-dozen delightful sides from the period 1950-1955 which reveal Lu Ann as a cute sweet-voiced songstress who never reached high in the US Charts yet almost succeeded with a appealing waltz, MOVING AWAY, whilst the Broadway musical KISMET enabled her to join all the other girl singers who found one of its songs, BAUBLES, BANGLES AND BEADS, to be completely irresistible. As a ballad singer, Lu Ann makes RED ROSES AND LITTLE WHITE LIES, HI LILLI HI LO, IT'S THE END OF THE LINE, HAND-ME-DOWN-HEART, LOVE ME AS THOUGH THERE WERE NO TOMORROW and other choices very pleasant listening with just occasionally upping the odds to more pop-geared tempo for GOLDEN ROSES AND SILVER BELLS, IT'S THE END OF THE LINE, MATCHIN' KISSES and FOR NOW AND ALWAYS with THE SAME TWO LIPS clearly showing its country and western origins.
Fortunately, the esteemed Percy Faith and his Orchestra was usually on hand to accompany Lu Ann and for those living beyond American shores, this is likely to be the first opportunity to sample the lady's sweet-voiced talent, adding her to the list of enchanting but overlooked vocalists.
As with many others, Lu Ann's career ebbed, with fluctuating career, changing times and the rise of rock `n roll. There's no other collection fully dedicated to Lu Ann so this is a veritable "must" for all collectors of the best Fifties female vocalists.
"
Lu Ann Simms makes these songs take flight !!!
Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 04/16/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Lu Ann Simms is relatively new to me but wow, am I glad I discovered this album browsing around the Amazon website! Lu Ann sings with all the grace of a very seasoned chanteuse and that's grand. She put a great deal of emotion and thought into her performances which justifies a record label releasing some of her songs on CD even all these years later. The quality of the sound on this album is excellent and the artwork is very tastefully done.
"Golden Roses And Silver Bells" starts the CD off; Lu Ann sings this out strong and her excellent diction enhances her delivery all the more. "Golden Roses And Silver Bells" gets a very spirited arrangement and it all holds its own very well. Terrific! "Same Two Lips" with Jimmy Carroll shines brighter than silver and gold when Lu Ann tackles it with all her heart and soul. Lu Ann sings this very sweetly and the pleasant melody belies the seriousness of the lyrics. I love it. "It's The End Of The Line" puts Lu Ann Simms squarely front and center--which was clearly right where she belonged! Lu Ann sings this wonderfully; the music makes good use of the strings and the piano as Lu Ann does this one up right.
"Matchin' Kisses" is a very good number that Lu Ann makes a lot of fun to hear; and there's another gem when she performs "When It's Just About September." "When It's Just About September" impresses me with its beauty; and Lu Ann never lets go of a superfluous note. "Moving Away" is a highlight of this album; Lu Ann gives this a most sensitive treatment and it all holds its own very well. "Hand-Me-Down Heart" is also very easy on the ear.
"You Could Be My Love" features Lu Ann in her natural element; and just one listen proves it. How's about that brass? "For Now And Always" has a great melody that Lu Ann makes all her own with a sophisticated treatment; and listen for Lu Ann to score a big goal on "I Won't Be Home No More." "I Won't Be Home No More" is a fine number and it's clearly another major highlight of this album. In addition, I really like Lu Ann's rendition of "Baubles, Bangles And Beads;" she delivers this as wonderfully as the best of them ever could and that's special. "Boy Wanted" sparkles when Lu Ann Simms performs it; she truly makes this all her own with her impeccable sense of timing. I think you'll like "Boy Wanted" if you enjoy this genre of music.
"Leave Me As Though There Were No Tomorrow" is another great tune in the capable hands of Lu Ann Simms; and the CD ends very nicely with Lu Ann performing "Red Roses And Little White Lies." "Red Roses And Little White Lies" is bound to leave you wanting more--and hopefully with time they'll put out more CDs by Lu Ann Simms!
Lu Ann Simms never disappointed her fans; this album showcases her remarkable talents as a natural songbird that couldn't be held down; she was all THAT good. I highly recommend this for her fans and people who like classic pop vocals will cherish this album for years to come.
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Track Listings (24) - Disc #1