Harold Arlen - Harold Arlen Songbook (CD)

All Music Guide

Concord's Songbook series is a greatest hits of sorts, but one that attempts to offer only the absolute best. Harold Arlen Songbook, for example, is not a very extensive album, with only ten tracks. Arlen is an American composing legend with many more important compositions that are not included here. The Harold Arlen Songbook is noteworthy for solid interpretations by Rosemary Clooney, Mel Tormé, and Arlen himself. Missing in action are "AC-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive," "Blues in the Night," "Shining Hour," "One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)," "I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues," "It's Only a Paper Moon," and "Hit the Road to Dreamland." Song Is Harold Arlen is a better anthology release (a 25-track survey chock-filled with A-list interpreters), as are American Songbook Series: Harold Arlen (22-tracks) and Pearl Bailey Sings Songs of Harold Arlen, the latter of which is a solid one-artist take on some of Arlen's songs. Overall, Harold Arlen Songbook is good (these are still his... songs) but too skimpy to be considered great. - JT Griffith, All Music Guide Read more Less