When Barry Manilow's "The Greatest Love Songs of All Time" was released several months ago I was kind of intrigued. I had not purchased anything by Manilow since his "Ultimate … more
such a peppy song! fun for the car... though saw him perform it on SNL and there's something about the affectation of his live performance that rubbed me wrong. can't pin it down, just felt awkward.
It is one thing to hear one of these tunes occasionally on an adult contemporary radio station. Whenever I did my reaction was usually "Well, isn't that interesting!" … more
As his good friend Billy Vera points out in the liner notes Lou Rawls never ever sang silly love songs. No sir! From the very beginning Lou Rawls sang about serious, adult subjects. … more
During a recent visit to Barnes & Noble I was totally captivated by a new CD that was being heavily promoted in the Music Dept. I cannot tell you how long it has been since I … more
While I had some familiarity with the Fleetwoods I really had no idea just how talented this group really was. The fact of the matter is that I don't think I have ever heard any group express teen … more
If you are like me and enjoy early to mid 50's pop then in all likelihood you are at least familiar with the Fontane Sisters. Most people would recall the groups two Top Ten hits from that era. "Hearts … more
The name on his records said Englebert Humperdinck. Archie Bunker once referred to him as "Englebert What's His Dink". His real name was Arnold George Dorsey. He was a struggling … more
Nat King Cole is an American icon. Some sixty years later his early recordings with the King Cole Trio are still highly regarded by jazz afficianados around the world. And many of his solo efforts remain … more
Art Garfunkel has always been one of my favorite solo artists. That is why I was absolutely flabbergasted to discover "Across America" at my local library. For some strange reason, I was … more
In the early 1950's, before the dawn of rock and roll, vocal groups were all the rage. This was certainly the case in black communities across America where one could find vocal groups performing on almost … more
Fans of the Hilltoppers will certainly have no complaints with this collection. "P.S. I Love You: The Best of the Hilltoppers" offers up 18 tracks including all of the group's biggest records. In the … more
Imagine! It has been 50 years since a young singer from Brooklyn named Johnny Maestro made his very first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 with a tune called "Sweetest One". At that time, Johnny was … more
When Chaka Khan emerged on the national music scene in the early 1970's as leader of the funk group Rufus I was not particularly impressed. Funk was never one of my favorite genres anyway so … more
This is about as bare bones as it gets folks. "The Best of Mel Carter" just has to be one of the stingiest offerings I have ever come across. And that's too bad because just about anything Mel Carter … more
I played this CD today for the first time in quite some time. It is really one of the most underrated and enjoyable CDs I own. "For The Memories" was originally … more
I have often remarked that Nat King Cole was incapable of making a bad record. So when I happened upon "Nat King Cole At The Sands" I thought I'd put my theory to the test. … more
It has been an awfully long time since Helen Reddy had her last big chart hit. Her music has all but disappeared from the radio. That's too bad. But the fact of the matter is that Helen … more
If you are a serious collector of American popular music then this is one disc that should really float your boat. "The Golden Age of American Popular Music" features a generous total of 28 great pop … more
While browsing through the CD section at my local bookstore the other day I stumbled upon this brand new Frank Sinatra disc from Sony BMG. "Beautiful Ballads and Love Songs" features 15 … more
The Lettermen have been doing what they do for more than years now. Original member Tony Butala leads the current trio who continue to record and maintain an ambitious concert schedule. This 1992 compilation … more