BOBBY DARIN
Wild, Cool & Swingin' - The Artist Collection (Capitol)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale

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One measure of Bobby Darin's considerable talent can be found in the multiple musical personas he was able to successfully adopt during his too brief career. From R&B flavored rocker to cabaret cool cat to folk flavored singer songwriter, Darin was a pop music renaissance man.

This collection, part of Capitol's Ultra-Lounge series, captures Darin's middle period. Following his early rock hits, he took a finger poppin' swing arrangement of "Mack The Knife" to the top of the pop charts, and then moved to establish himself alongside the crooners and swingers of a previous generation as a master of nightclub stages and casino lounges. His success in doing so is amply displayed in the twenty tracks collected for this disc, including four previously unreleased cuts.

The bands and arrangers that helped Darin on these songs are uncredited, and that's a shame because their outstanding in every case. Darin himself carved out an original style that gave its due to the swing tradition but established him as an influence in his own right. That style makes songs like "Hello, Dolly!," "I Got Rhythm" and "Once In A Lifetime" sound fresh despite hundreds of interpretations before and after Bobby Darin tried them on. The four previously unheard cuts, "The Sweetest Sound," "I Left My Heart In San Francisco," "This Nearly Was Mine" and "Gyp The Cat," will make this an important addition to any fan's collection. Every track on here makes it a wonderful introduction for those who may have somehow previously missed the magic.

Track List: As Long As I'm Singing * Sunday In New York * The Sweetest Sounds * There's A Rainbow Round My Shoulder * Hello, Dolly! * I Left My Heart In San Francisco * Charade * The Good Life * Hello, Young Lovers * Look At Me * I'm Sitting On Top Of The World * That Funny Feeling * Call Me Irresponsible * I Got Rhythm * A Taste Of Honey * More * This Nearly Was Mine * I Wanna Be Around * Once In A Lifetime * Gyp The Cat

© 1999 - Shaun Dale