Search - Various Artists :: Capitol Sings Coast to Coast

Mixed bag from an outstanding label

Sarah Bellum | Dublin, OH United States | 08/03/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"(3.5/5 stars) In the 1950's, Capitol Records had some of the best talent in the music industry, including Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, both of whom were at the apex of their respective forms. At least Dean is present in this collection of songs, all of which are tied to the theme of places within the United States (continental and otherwise). Even though Frank is not represented, some of my favorite voices of the era are here, including Jo Stafford, Margaret Whiting, Nat "King" Cole, Peggy Lee, Tony Bennett and the incomparable Johnny Mercer. Unfortunately, the songs don't always match up to the talent. There are some stand-outs, such as "Moonlight in Vermont," "Old Cape Cod," "Autumn in New York" and "Georgia on My Mind." However, Dean Martin singing "When It's Sleepy Time Down South" and Peggy Lee singing "Basin Street Blues" are about as appealing as one would think, meaning not very. "Avalon" by the Pied Pipers, who used to back Sinatra, is decent, but Nancy Wilson singing "I Left My Heart in San Francisco"? What is the deal there? Why put Tony Bennett on a collection, yet include him singing "Chicago" rather than one of his signature songs? Sinatra's version of "Chicago" is much better than this one. I suppose Capitol designed this collection thinking most folks already have their favorite singers performing their signature songs (which I certainly do), so they decided to mix things up a bit. With that assumption in mind, I would recommend this as a supplement to an existing collection."