Search - Toni Tennille :: Tennille Sings Big Band

Hate to tell you, Daryl, but Toni's a real swinger!

Gregor von Kallahann | 08/17/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"All my musician friends back in the 70s made merciless fun of the Captain & Tennille. They were, after all, commercial--and in a fairly unapologetic way. I laughed oblingingly when my friends would sneeringly refer to them as the "Captain and Toenail," but they remained something of a guilty pleasure. "Love Will Keep Us Together" had a nice bounce, and "Shop Around" was a credible reading of a Smokey Robinson classic, replete with a not-too-heavy handed gender switch (girls can shop around too) that was refreshingly liberating (more Cyndi Lauper fun than Helen Reddy earnestness).Besides "Captain" Daryl Dragon worked with Brian Wilson--so they had some musical credibility going there. And later, we learned that Toni Tennille's dad, Frank, was a former big band singer and that Toni herself had cut her musical teeth on that music. By the time they released the sultry "Do That to Me One More Time" in '79, it was apparent that they were getting something of a bum rap musically.Well, after Linda Ronstadt made it acceptable for rock singers to cover the standards, it didn't take Toni too long to follow suit. Of course, the question of who really had a reserved berth on that bandwagon wasn't so easily answered. What was clear is that Toni Tennille had found an artistic niche in which she fit in quite comfortably.This is the third of Toni's solo projects featuring standards and swing numbers. She is completely at ease throughout and appropriately sassy when called upon to be. Admittedly, she does not bring much that is new to these numbers--unlike, say, Nancy LaMott might do--but her honeyed alto is so well suited for numbers like "Old Black Magic," "Making Whoopee," and "Things Are Swinging" that the listener can't help getting in on the fun. And she lays on her Southern charm to great effect with "Pardon My Southern Accent" and "Memhis in June." I do understand why some of the reviewers below express some disappointment with this release. The album is solid, but it's not great. It's all swing and little substance. A torch song or two, or better yet, an introspective ballad would have added something special to the mix. She's already proven she can do it. And likely she will again. "Toenail" indeed!"

A swing-y affair with lovely vocals

groucho | Chapel Hill, NC, USA | 01/03/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Isn't this singer the other half of the duo Captain and Tennille?Sure is. And she can both sing (both croon and belt, mind you) and swing. She has this weary voice that has an attractive husk in it and when she sings songs like "Its Nice To Have A Man Around the House" its like a musical come-on with nothing put-on (pun intended). Her best moments come from things that come naturally like her take of "Pardon My Southern Accent" where her Alabamian accent was used to best advantage, and such words like "y'all," and "Sa-dern" get a Deep South treatment. Lovely. Its great for someone to be idiomatic and still come out musical. She also did a creditable "Life Is Just A Bowl of Cherries" but I hear a Judy Garland echo in it which still works fine considering that its hard to eclipse a song Garland made her own. And her "Almost Like Being in Love" has a mature knowingness in it. Its probably a hard sell to make you buy this woman's album, but in a world where pop stars tackle the standards with no idea what they are singing about, this one's a real keeper."

Tennille hits a few, misses a few. A fair outing, at best.

groucho | 04/19/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This cd is filled with big, brassy numbers. Tennille turns in an average performance on a number of tracks, including "That Old Black Magic", "Things Are Swingin'", "I Wish I Were In Love Again" and "Teach Me Tonight." Tennille and the band do an outstanding job with "Memphis in June", "Hard Hearted Hannah", and "Makin Whoopie". A must for Tennille fans. I hope that on "INCURABLY ROMANTIC", her soon-to-be released cd, Tennille turns in a superior performance."