Search - Various Artists :: Sentimental Journey: Pop Vocal Classics, Vol. 4 (1954-1959)

And the nostalgia continues...

Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 05/21/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sentimental Journey: Pop Vocal Classics, Vol. 4 (1954-1959) is yet another excellent installment in this wonderful CD series; and it ends the series with a bang! The quality of the sound is very good and the artwork is beautifully laid out for us. These ballads will always be music to the ears of those of us who love classic pop vocals.



The CD track set begins auspiciously with Bobby Darin performing a sublime rendition of "Mack The Knife;" "Mack The Knife" became a huge hit for Bobby and just one listen tells us why! Bobby swings brightly to make this number a very special one and he succeeds every step of the way! Peggy Lee gives a stunning interpretation of "Fever;" this too was a major hit for Peggy Lee--and it's a major highlight of this album, too. I like how they use finger snapping for part of the percussion that marks the beat; and the drums that they use fit in perfectly with the vocals that Peggy sings to perfection! Joan Weber also turns in a wonderful performance of "Let Me Go Lover;" my father always liked this tune and I can certainly tell why! Joan's voice is as clear as a bell and she never sings a superfluous note.



"What A Difference A Day Makes" sounds sublime when the immortal Dinah Washington sings it; I'll never understand why but poor Dinah never gets the recognition she deserves these days. In addition, Johnny Mathis sings a huge hit for him--"Chances Are" is one of Johnny's best tunes ever. "Chances Are" stuns me with its beauty and it always sounds fresh and new--I could never tire of hearing Johnny Mathis sing this wonderful number. Doris Day also sings one of her signature songs entitled "Whatever Will Be Will Be (Que Sera, Sera);" "Whatever Will Be Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)" couldn't ever sound any better than when Doris sings this; and the backup chorus wisely stays in the background to let Doris have her rightful place in the full spotlight. Gogi Grant sings "The Wayward Wind" with an awful lot of genuine emotion and feeling; and listen for Dean Martin to sing his wonderful interpretation of "Memories Are Made Of This." Dean croons this like the masterful champ he always was--and still remains! Great!



Judy Garland also turns in a strikingly beautiful performance with her signature torch song, "The Man That Got Away." Judy sings this with a full, rich voice that is very vibrant as well. Wow! "The Man That Got Away" is one of my personal favorites on this album. In addition, Jane Morgan & The Troubadors perform a fantastic rendition of "Fascination;" this was also a signature song for Jane Morgan. "Just In Time" gets the royal treatment from Tony Bennett; and the album ends so very well with Sammy Davis, Jr. performing "That Old Black Magic." "That Old Black Magic" was a song partly written by Johnny Mercer when he had a crush on Judy Garland--the words "that old black magic" refer to Johnny's almost irresistible desire to make Judy his one true love.



Overall, this installment in this Sentimental Journey CD series covers a lot of ground and it's pure magic every step of the way. I highly recommend this for people who like classic pop vocals and the artists on this album.

"

Rhino compiles a winner!

Gary Gardner | Ellsworth, ME United States | 11/02/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The four-volume series, "Sentimental Journey", is definitely a must-have for any fan of the music of the early 1940's-late 1950's. In particular, Vol. 4, covering popular dancing tunes from the years 1954-1959, is the epitome of what compilation CD's should be about. You would be hard pressed to mix better selections yourself. Bobby Darin's manic, fiery "Mack the Knife", Johnny Mathis' "Chances Are", and the surprise hit of 1959, "Let Me Go Lover" (Joan Weber) are some of the best-known selections. Two tracks from the play "My Fair Lady"-- "I Could Have Danced All Night" and "On the Street Where You Live"-- are both on display here. Some of the selections are complete surprises, the best one being the sultry and supple Dinah Washington crooning the hell out of "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes". There are nice upbeat tunes throughout to liven things considerably, like Tony Bennett's "Just in Time" and Guy Mitchell's "Singing the Blues". Being from Massachusetts, I have a preference for the excellently produced and sung "Old Cape Cod" by the irreplaceable Patti Page; when I hear this tune, I think about lying on the hood of my car, watching the Chatham lighthouse beam cutting across the beach at the bottom of the dune....yet, I digress...Sammy Davis Jr.'s shmokin' "That Old Black Magic" stomps down the house as the closer. There are other songs on this great CD that I didn't mention that are just as wonderfully nostalgic and memorable. The sound throughout each track is awfully impressive, making this one real sweet collection. Rhino Records knows how to compile some great music, and no one does it better. The only thing missing is by Nat "King" Cole, who should have had a representative song, but it is a minute complaint. Each track featured is a winner by any standard. Lie back and enjoy!"

Some Of The Best Non-R&R Hits Of The Early Rock Era

Gary Gardner | 08/22/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This fourth (and last) volume in Rhino's great series presents some of the best non-R&R vocal hits of the last half of the decade of the 1950s, led by one which, for a time, held several performance records. That was Guy Mitchell's version of Singing The Blues which remained on the Billboard Pop Top 100 for 26 weeks, including TEN at the # 1 position, and is ranked as the 4th best hit in Billboard's Top 25 for the decade.



Like another reviewer I think it would have been appropriate had they included a Nat "King" Cole selection since, after all, he did have 42 hits for Capitol in the period covered. However, this is still a good purchase. As with the other three volumes the comprehensive liner notes include a complete discography of the contents, including original label numbers and chart performances, and several photographs of some of the stars."