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Title: Sammy Davis Jr and Carmen McRae There's a Small Hotel View count: 201 Rating: 5.0 (1 ratings) Description: I love this album! REVIEW FROM ALLMUSIC http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:3nftxqysldde In 1958 Sammy Davis, Jr. and Carmen McRae met up to create one of the most charming and lovable duet records you are liable to hear in a lifetime of listening. Boy Meets Girl is an unmitigated joy from beginning to end and might even be better than anything produced by the legendary pairing of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. That's for the experts to worry about though. Everyone else should just sit back and enjoy the duo tackle some of the best tunes big-time writers like Cole Porter, Hoagy Carmichael, and Jerome Kern had to offer, classics like "You're the Top," "Cheek to Cheek," "A Fine Romance," and "Two Sleepy People." Swinging easily throughout, they sound like two pals who are having the time of their lives (the amazing photos in the CD booklet seem to bear this out). Sammy goofs his way through the album, casting asides like a wisecracking kid, while Carmen sails along like the consummate pro she always was. They achieve a perfect balance between sophisticated charm (McRae) and eager-to-please hamminess (Davis) and the record is a joy from beginning to end. Of particular note are their take on "Baby, It's Cold Outside" (where Sam cracks up Carmen a couple of times), the very romantic "There's a Small Hotel" (which shows the pair weren't all laughs but had some emotional depth too), and their lighthearted romp through "You're the Top." There are no weak tracks to be found and the record is truly a hidden gem any vocal jazz fans worth their keep should strive to seek out. [In 2005 Verve made this task easier by reissuing the record along with 1959's Porgy and Bess on Boy Meets Girl: Sammy Davis, Jr. & Carmen McRae on Decca.] Tags: sammy davis jr, carmen mcrae, there's a small hotel, boy meets girl, Author: jazzylinn |
