Search - Tommy Newsome :: I Remember You

A Disappointment in Tommy

Winfield L. Rick | Athens, GA United States | 08/20/2001

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I was looking forward to a great big band sound, but was very diasppointed in what this CD contained. Although the band has some great musicians EVERY track is a vocal! The band is an afterthought it seems. Every once in awhile you get to hear the band swing, but the main feature seems to be the vocalist who, frankly sounds like some lounge singer who wound up on the band stand. If you're looking for a swinging big band CD, avoid this one!"

ADDICTIVE

Robert M | Clawson, Michigan | 09/25/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What an intoxicating set of performances this CD contains!

I first heard cuts from this on the most excellent on-line only Lounge Music station, "On The Rocks" provided by one of the satellite radio services. It is a perfect fit for the always high quality programming provided by this station.



I can see why a previous reviewer would have been disappointed if he was looking for Big Band instrumentals; every track on this is a vocal and vocalist David Seering most certainly sounds like a Lounge singer. That's because he is one, at a tony night spot in Florida where he is a feature attraction. And what a first class singer he is.

The timbre of Seering's voice takes a moment or two of getting used to. He sounds a little like a higher pitched version of Billy Daniels or Jim Nabors but with one major difference: Seering sings with a sense of big city style and sophistication that neither of the aforementioned singers could ever hope to approach. It's thrilling to hear him take charge of a number like "Old Black Magic" and shape it into a hard swinging number that leaves you breathless at the end.

About two thirds of the numbers are uptempo swing, most of the rest are lushly handled ballads with a discrete but rich string orchestra as background to the band, a few of the numbers have a lively Andrews Sisters type chorus backing Seering, and one number, "Out of This World", has a fast insinuating Latinate accompaniment that could be right off one of George Shearing's best Latin jazz albums. All of this is backed by Tommy Newsome"s "Master of Swing" arrangements and the whole thing is quite addictive. I have listened to this over and over and I"m not tired of it yet. I also loaned this to my next door neighbor, a WWII veteran who's a Big Band afficianado (what else?) and he pronounced it "the best modern Big Band album he's heard in years."

This is selling quite cheaply on Amazon and I consider this one of the best purchases I've made in quite a while."