Dick Haymes - The Ballad Singer

A Review:

I'm not sure where the title "The Ballad Singer" comes from for this eponymously titled anthology, which has Haymes doing a variety of ballads and swingers, the familiar and the rare, and with assorted accompaniments. On the opener, "Oh, Look at Me Now," he's obviously been taking breathing lessons from Sinatra or the latter's mentor, Tommy Dorsey, ignoring the comma and delivering in a single breath repeated long phrases like, "I never knew the technique of kissing, I never knew the thrill I could get from your touch." Of the unfamiliar material, "A Sinner Kissed an Angel" may be the most pleasant surprise, especially suited to the vocalist's singular control of dynamics and his ability to fit a mood so indelibly to a song that the material would sound "flat" if attempted by another singer. It's also refreshing to hear the vocalist performing five of the thirteen numbers with the spare accompaniment of a piano trio, an instrumentation that has yet to sound "dated" and that lends itself to the intimate, and inimitable, quality of "This Time, The Dream's On Me," a tune that Haymes practically owns. And he brings to "Slow Boat to China" a panache that caused me to note that it's a Loesser, not a McHugh, song.

Tracklist

1     Oh, Look At Me Now     2:44

2     On a Slow Boat to China     2:43

3     What's New?     3:52

4     Cheek to Cheek     2:55

5     This TIme, the Dream's on Me     3:16

6     A Very Precious Love     3:33

7     You're My Girl     2:25

8     The Long Hot Summer     2:52

9     So Far     3:41

10     Moonlight Becomes You     3:28

11     You Stepped Out of a Dream     2:15

12     A Sinner Kissed an Angel     4:40

13     My Heart Stood Still     2:22