–
You know, she really did/does have a classic cocktail kind of voice. I’ve always enjoyed a Debbie song in the movies she sings in. It’s a real American sweetheart set of pipes she sings with. This, her first studio album, works very well at night as background music. Innocent? Very much so, but her musicality dominates in an oddly sophisticated manner which I was quite surprised by. Soft, but never meek, like one would expect, Debbie’s choice of twelve songs was obviously aimed at the 1950’s, adult, living-room listener. The very tone that made a soft Reynold’s ballad captivating in her movies comes through on this debut, with a lounge singer’s confidence. The fun thing about this record is that you can actually hear her attempt to step it up for the cocktail set. I don’t know if I’ll ever need to go back to the Reynolds’ well in terms of albums, but that doesn’t mean for a minute that I won’t continue to play this one on chilly evenings with a nice martini and a few friends over. Songs include Moonglow, Time After Time, and Mean to Me

–
– Here’s a pretty cool little pairing that I picked up on a whim at a local second-hand record shop. Recorded in 1960 and 1961, there are 17 tracks on this cd, all guaranteed to send the mood of your next cocktail party to classic. Shearing’s Quintet was known for having a very mellow jazz vibe and one that was very tight. They didn’t fool around much, focusing on a specific sound that was elegant. Now, add a very young and stylistically clean and pronounced singer to the mix, one whose voice was created for jazz, and you have a tempo and mood on a record you couldn’t find long after the early 60’s. This is a strong, strong jazz vocal album, but it’s very inclusive of the listener. I play it now all the time at my home bar and people love it … but they don’t have to talk over it. I would definitely classify this one as a jazz over vocal album, with Nancy just being an ultimate instrument. Songs include Don’t Call Me, Lullaby of Birdland, On Green Dolphin Street, and more.

– Do not buy this album to play quietly while at home sipping a drink. This is a party background album and a darned good one at that … but … it’s a cha-cha record, and after a few songs of straight-up-alone cha-cha, you’ll be pulling your hair out. I believe that band leader, Warren Covington, picked up Dorsey’s baton soon after his demise and led the remaining band down the road to cha-cha heaven. Apparently hugely popular in the late 50’s, cha-cha certainly has its place in a retro collection or when trying to set a retro vibe at your shing-ding. This album certainly has its place in your collection. With 24 cha-chas, this record is fantastic as background music. Warren’s trombone blasts through loud and clear over the steady 1-2, 1-2-3 beat that steadily carries the entire recording. Fun, bright, perfect with cocktails and friends, this is indeed a great cocktail album. Played over a car stereo for its hour+ running time … & you may wanna crash into something. Songs include Trumpet Cha-Cha-Cha, The Sheik of Araby Cha-Cha, and I Still Get Jealous Cha-Cha

– I’d heard of Buddy Greco, of that much I’m sure. "The Grec" or “Grecooooo" … a name whispered at poker games and drunken evenings at bars as Darin and Sinatra played and fingers snapped. "If you like this, you gotta hear Greco," I was slurred. So, this winter I took the Grec-plunge and picked up his greatest hits. Did I dig it? Well, YES and no. I like his voice and his almost scat-like way with his picks, even though I’m not a fan of scat. I kind of liked his free-for-all way with classic jazz vocal lyrics, inventing and throwing in his own sentences to some of the classics I’d grown up with. I enjoyed the bravado and confidence he punches a song with. But then … there were these little bizarre choices like throwing a party-stopping piano version of the world’s oddest song, MacArthur Park, into the middle of the collection. It makes no sense. The over-sentimentality in a few of the ballads can potentially shut the whole vibe down. I do enjoy this record and feel it’s well worth a point-out, but, I feel, you should be a big fan of "The Boy’s Club" in terms of 50’s & 60’s music to search this one out. I happen to be, so it works for me! Songs include The Lady Is A Tramp, Girl Talk, and L.O.V.E.