Monday , March 18 2024
America's sweetheart of the 1950s and 1960s returns with an essential collection.

Music Review: Doris Day – ‘The Essential Doris Day’ [2-CD Collection]

The younger generation probably knows Doris Day through her movies shown late at night on various cable channels. Their parents may have known her as the star of the successful Doris Day Show, 1968-1973. The older generation and people in the know remember her as one the leading box office actresses of the early 1960s and a recording artist who sold tens of millions of albums and singles.

$(KGrHqJ,!i!E8,nVc!WCBP(8QEIo3!~~60_57Now in her early 90s, her recording career extends back to the big band era of the late 1930s and through the release of 2011’s My Heart. Sony Legacy has released a 2-CD collection of 36 tracks from her long association with Columbia Records under the title The Essential Doris Day.

When listening to Doris Day, you need to realize you are entering a time machine. While she continued to record during the rock and roll era, her material is decidedly not rock and roll. It is easy listening, maybe a little jazzy in places, but is most associated with the light pop of the pre-Elvis Presley era.

During the height of her popularity, she possessed a voice that had a pure tone and was perfect for her style. Songs such as “Sentimental Journey,” “Till the End of Time,” “When I Fall in Love (Live),” “Secret Love (78rpm Version),” and “Whatever Will Be Will Be (Que Sera, Sera)” (Single Version) remain classics of their type over a half century after their initial release.

Several duets allow the listener to delve a little deeper into her catalog. “There Once Was A Man” with John Raitt, “They Say It’s Wonderful” with Robert Goulet, and the simple “Fools Rush In (Where Angels Fear to Tread)” with pianist Andre Previn present her ability to adapt her style to work with a partner.

Perhaps the tracks that best define her appeal are the title songs from Pillow Talk and Teacher’s Pet, and “The Black Hills of Dakota” from Calamity Jane. They communicate likeability and that was the foundation of her career.

The enclosed booklet contains a heartfelt essay by Nancy Sinatra. The sound has been cleaned up as much as modern technology will allow but 27 of the tracks are presented in their original mono sound. The wise decision was made to present the material in chronological order, and while this may not be critical to an artist like Day, it helps one to understand the history of her career.

Doris Day, despite still being active, remains a star from a long gone era. The Essential Doris Day is a good introduction to her career and for many may be the only album of hers you will ever need. On the other hand, if you are a fan of her work, it is an essential trip down memory lane.

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