Everlasting Hits
(Premium Records)
By Sheng Yuen
In Summary : Nostalgia on a shoestring budget.
Sounds Like:A retrospective repertoire of movie hits from decades back. Stephen Bishop's plaintive and poignant"It Might Be You"hails from"Tootsie"while Bertie Higgins'"Casablanca"is inspired by the monochrome melodrama that made icons out of Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. Also appearing is the love theme from"Flashdance,"Joe Bean Esposito's"Lady, Lady, Lady."You May Have Heard:Revisiting the late '70s and '80s, the soundscape here is dotted with familiar tracks that made a dent in listeners' memories, but failed to make stars out of their singers."Words,"for instance, is a song most would know for its simplicity and catchy notes, but one would be hard put to finger French crossover artist F. R. David as the balladeer. For this same reason, each number is a favorite among karaoke regulars, who relish the fact that they can carry these tunes without having to deal with the burden of matching up to the original crooner's standards.We Fancy:The laidback charm of these 17 songs make you want to kick your feet up and smell the freshly brewed coffee. Especially evocative of carefree strolls by the seaside are"Emotion"by Samantha Sang and"Cherish"by Kool&The Gang.We're Not Sure About:Since the makers are touting this release as an audiophile collectible that is digitally re-mastered on a gold disc, why did they burn a bonus disc with just four additional tracks when it could have been placed on the same gold disc?Verdict:Times are hard, and with everyone reaching back into the past for halcyon days of less economic woes, nostalgic nuggets like this compact compilation should be a welcome choice for belt-tightening music lovers.
|
|||||
