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September 2004 Film Music CD Reviews

Film Music Editor: Gary S. Dalkin
Managing Editor: Ian Lace
Music Webmaster Len Mullenger

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It's De Lovely – The Authentic Cole Porter Collection  
Compilation: Cole Porter
  Available On: RCA Bluebird 82876 62180 2
Running Time: 60.17
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de lovely

Track List:

  • Anything Goes – Cole Porter with Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks
  • You're the Top – Cole Porter with Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks
  • Begin the Beguine – Artie Shaw and His Orchestra
  • From this Moment On – Lena Horne
  • You Do Something to Me – Sonny Rollins
  • It's Delovely – Shorty Rogers and his Giants
  • Night and Day – Frank Sinatra
  • Let's Misbehave – Irving Aaronson and his Commanders
  • Don't Fence Me In – Roy Rogers
  • You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To – Dinah Shore
  • I Love Paris – Coleman Hawkins with Many Albam and His Orchestra
  • Easy to Love – Ray Noble and His Orchestra
  • Just One of Those Things – Lena Horne
  • What Is This Thing Called Love – Leo Reisman and His Orchestra
  • I've Got You Under My Skin – Paul Desmond
  • I Get A Kick out of You – Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra

And Bonus Tracks:

  • Night and Day – Leo Reisman and His Orchestra with Fred Astaire
  • You Do Something To Me – Rosemary Clooney and Perez Prado and His Orchestra
  • Night and Day – Esquivel and his Orchestra

Cole Porter fans will welcome this CD released when interest has been rekindled in the composer following the film De-Lovely starring Kevin Kline as Porter – though it must be noted that this is not the official soundtrack album to that feature release. A glance at the list of songs and stars above confirms its vintage value. The collection focuses exclusively on the romantic songs, his often risqué humorous ditties find no place here –only the relatively innocuous 'Anything Goes' delivered by Cole himself with nice ennui and irony, and 'Let's Misbehave' mischievously delivered by Phil Saxe and Chorus. The two numbers sung by Cole Porter, the other - 'You're the Top' - declaimed with great enthusiasm and urbanity, are undoubtedly the main interest of this album. The purely instrumental tracks, like Shorty Rogers' fast-paced 'It's Delovely' epitomise the exciting, frenetic jazz of the era.

Of the vocalists Lena Horne's sultry street-wise tone brings a welcome grittiness to 'Just One of Those Things' and a breezy optimism to 'From this Moment On'; a youthful Frank Sinatra, recorded in 1942, brings his own blend of magic to 'Night and Day' and Al Bowlly (unidentified on the back sleeve) is an affecting vocalist with Ray Noble's Orchestra in 'Easy to Love'. Roy Rogers brings his cowboy charm to 'Don't Fence Me In' and Dinah Shore is all sweetness and allure in 'You'd Be So Nice to Come Home Too.'

Two of the bonus tracks bring Cole into the modern age. Smokey-voiced slinky Rosemary Clooney sings 'You Do Something To Me' over Perez Prado's Latin backing recorded in 1959. The Latin spirit prevails through 'Night and Day' in Esquivel's 1958 recording.

For Cole Porter fans, a delight.

Ian Lace

***** 5

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