Songs from the Girl Singer: A Musical Autobiography
There have been plenty of Rosemary Clooney best-of compilations, but few highlight the depth and diversity of the vocalist as doesSongs from the Girl Singer. Billed as a musical autobiography, this double-CD companion to Clooney'swritten autobiographyillustrates the stylized but varied and spunky career of the singer, from her earliest works to her most recent. Some of the highlights include "Sooner or Later," Clooney's first solo performance from 1946, which features the sultry 17-year-old singer dueting with bandleader Tony Pastor; 1950's "Peach Tree Street," with Clooney andFrank Sinatracollaborating for the first time; and on 1951's "Come On-a My House" we can hear the ultra-catchy, folksy tune that first brought Clooney acclaim (and the cover ofTime), an astonishing triumph for a number she initially refused to sing. Fast-forward and we get even more gems ("Hey There," "White Christmas," "The White Cliffs of Dover," to name just a few). Whether singing solo or with Sinatra,Bing Crosby,Bob Hope, orDuke Ellington, Clooney shines here--there aren't any duds in this collection. All in all, this is a great retrospective, with some numbers that even Clooney's longtime fans might not own.--Jason Verlinde