Anita Kerr Singers - All You Need Is Love (CD)

All Music Guide

The multitalented, Nashvillebased Anita Kerr had been a studio arranger and behindthescene mover and shaker in Music City USA for nearly two decades when she signed with Warner Brothers Records in the mid 1960s. Her fourth LP bore the optimistic title All You Need Is Love (1967). In addition to remaking the Beatles' Summer Of Love anthem, Kerr (soprano/soloist) leads her ensemble which also consists of B. J. Baker (alto), Gene Merlino (tenor and Bob Tedow (bass) through an assortment of contemporaneous light rock and pop.Some of the rearrangements work better than others in a choral setting. For instance, the Bee Gee's languid "Holiday" is exquisite and moody with Kerr's voice hovering over the ensemble for an ethereal listening experience that is particularly recommended for those who like the original. The Addrisi Brotherspenned "Never My Love" bears the same harmonic earmarks and complexities as the Association's hit version with the buoyancy of Kerr's gliding vocals. From the Bac...harach/David songbook comes arguably the most endearing inclusion of them all, Kerr's interpretation of "The Look Of Love". It retains all of the mystique and subtle charm of Dusty Springfield or Dame Shirley Bassey without becoming too instrumentally watered down or vocally tarted up. Read more Less