16 Most Requested Songs
When Mel Torme was recording for Columbia in the mid-1960s, he was singing both contemporary pop tunes and standards. This disc concentrates wisely on the standards, and they're almost all ballads with string settings by Robert Mersey. Torme's voice had matured into a perfect musical instrument for this repertoire, a smooth, warm sound that suggested the best tenor saxophonists and blended with his flawless diction to caress the lyrics. Porter's "I've Got You Under My Skin" gets a more upbeat Latin treatment, but it's Torme's way with a ballad, rather than his jazz singing that's featured here, and virtually every great songwriter in the canon is represented. This CD includes the originalThat's AllLP, which has since beenreissuedwith additional tracks. --Adam Rains