Essential Rosemary Clooney
Though she wouldfinish her careeras one of the most respectedjazz singersin American popular music, Rosemary Clooney fought long and hard for those props. This 16-track collection chronicles the early stages of her struggle, mixing the outright, if still vibrant novelty songs (tunes like "Mambo Italiano" and "Come On-A My House" were foisted on Clooney by label exec Mitch Miller) that helped make her a popular film, radio and TV star with more sublime fare like "Tenderly" and the emblematic hit "Hey There." But it's on tracks like Duke Ellington's "Blue Rose" and a pre-Sinatra take on "The Lady is a Tramp" that her true muse comes shining through. Though limited in scope, this anthology manages to showcase the early hits that made Clooney a star and, more importantly, the beginnings of the willful jazz sensibility that forged her legend.--Jerry McCulley