If you want to hear what REAL singing is supposed to sound like, these two releases by Bing Crosby Enterprises are possibly the best template in which to compare everyone else from Frank to Buble’. They may be different, and they may be more modern, but no one ever did it better.
Bing On Broadway is a collection of material from either the Bing Crosby Show or the Bing Crosby Show for General Electric back in the mid 50s. The former has him with Buddy Cole and his Trio of Vince Terri/g, Don Whitaker/b and Nick Fatool/dr, while the latter his Der Bingser with John Scott Trotter and His Orchestra, with much of the material culled from the 7 cd Mosaic collection, but with a couple extra ditties. This single disc is themed by material made famous on the Great White Way, and Bing sounds warm, relaxed and rich on tunes like “Crazy Rhythm” and “Get Me to the Church on Time.” His baritone has a palpable depth on an uncommonly intense “It’s All Right With Me,” and is full moon romantic on ”My Heart Stood Still.” The gold standard of singing on display on these 19 tunes.
Bing & Rosie is a collection of joyous radio sessions between Crosby and one of his favorite singing partners, Rosemary Clooney. Again, the material is culled from CBS radio programs and has the pair with bands ranging from Buddy Cole and his trio to full orchestras that include Ziggy Elman/tp, Eddie Miller/ts and Joe Venuti/violin. The rapport between the two is heart warming, particularly on “Easter Parade” and the humorous “That’s Amore.” Clooney’s voice isn’t necessarily distinct as it is perfectly tuned, pitched and timed, as she complement’s Bing’s serves with graceful backhands as on “You’d BE Son Nice to Come Home To” and “People Will Say We’re In Love.” The 2 disc set has multiple versions of some of the songs, but the supporting cast and delivery are different enough to prevent any monotony. This set could be mistaken for simple nostalgia, but that would be like saying you like Mozart’s Don Giovanni so you can reminisce about Vienna.
Universal Music