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From the Vault...
07/11/2004
#898 |
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info
Somethin' Smith & The Redheads
"Ain't That Somethin':
The Best Of
Somethin' Smith
And The Redheads"
© Collector's Choice
Records
Year of Release: 1997
Rating:
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track listing
Red Head
It's A Sin To Tell A Lie
I'm A Ding Dong Daddy
From Dumas
Gee!
I'm Gonna Wrap Up
All My Heartaches
When All The Streets
Are Dark
My Melancholy Baby
Ma! (She's Making
Eyes At Me)
If I Could Be With You
(One Hour Tonight)
The Mambo,
Tango, Samba,
Calypso Rhumba
Blues
In A Shanty In Old
Shanty Town
Give Me The Single Life
Candy
You Always Hurt
The One You Love
My Baby Just Cares
For Me
Just In Case
You Change
Your Mind
Heartaches
I Don't Want To Set
The World On Fire
Sweet Georgia Brown
When I Grow
Too Old To Dream
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Somethin' Smith & The Redheads
"Ain't That Somethin': The Best Of Somethin' Smith And The Redheads"
My fondest memories of Somethin' Smith & The Redheads, is their 45 rpm Epic
single, "It's A Sin To Tell A Lie"/"My Baby Just Cares For Me" I found
at one of the many garage sales. Building my 45 singles collection from these
garage sales were always a treat for me. When Collector's Choice released Somethin' Smith's Best Of,
it was great to see both of these songs I had in their original form.
What made these songs memorable, was the use of the banjo ("It's A Sin To
Tell A Lie"), and great contemporary Jazz ("My Baby Just Cares For Me").
The banjo licks are heard on the opening track, "Red Head." But it is surely
missed on songs such as "I'm A Ding Dong Daddy From Dumas" and "Gee!"
Both these songs are more of an Easy Listening/Big Band sound. Both of these non-banjo
tunes are very good, yet the banjo is unique in popular music, it is missed.
"I'm Gonna Wrap Up All My Heartaches" is another Easy Listening/Big
Band number, where the vocals can be compared to the likes of The Four Aces and
The Four Lads. "Wrap Up All My Heartaches" does have some humor though,
where the well-done crooning voices are in unison, and another vocalist who
sounds as if he's a singing hillbilly (Somethin' Smith) in a sense. "When
All The Streets Are Dark" does have the sound as "It's A Sin To Tell A
Lie," with the piano "imitating" the rolling banjo. The remaining
orchestration (big band) does blend well also. The crooners and "singing
hillbily" are also heard on this song too.
The barbershop quartet sound (along with Smith's "country" voice) is heard
on "My Melancholy Baby." "It's A Sin To Tell A Lie" fans will
enjoy "Ma! (She's Making Eyes At Me)" and "In A Shanty In Old Shanty
Town." It has the memorable banjo and great remaining orchestration.
"If i Could Be With You (One Hour Tonight)" is more jazz, as the
slow-paced style and saxophone are the standouts. Smith's voice is sultry,
as heard in Marilyn Monroe tunes. The big band sound returns on "The Mambo,
Tango, Samba, Calypso Rhumba Blues."
"Give Me The Simple Life" has more of the big band jazz crooning
style (Four Aces/Four Lads). Likewise, "Candy" has the crooning style
and Smith's "country" vocal style. "You Always Hurt The One You Love"
has the vocal style of "It's A Sin To Tell A Lie," but it needed the
banjo!
The sultry sound is heard on "My Baby Just Cares For Me," crooning
Jazz with female background singers are heard on "Just In Case You Change
Your Mind." The same style heard on "It's A Sin To Tell A Lie"
returns on "Heartaches," and "When I Grow Too Old To Dream."
A very impressive and entertaining version of "I Don't Want To Set The
World On Fire," a song that should get repeated listens and airplay on
today's Easy Listening radio stations. The banjo and piano are the standouts
on "Sweet Georgia Brown," being the album's only instrumental,
and having a very good ragtime sound.
Early 1950s stations such as the Chicago area's WCGO and WRLL (Real Oldies
1600) could easily include Somethin' Smith's music as part of their playlists.
Fans of jazz, big band, and even country will enjoy this music. It's a different
approach than the standard jazz and big band music we normally hear.
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Review or any portion may not be reproduced
without written permission. Cover art is the
intellectual property of
Collector's Choice Records
and is used for reference purposes only.
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