During the second half of the '20s, Gene Austin was the most popular singer in the U.S., his airy tenor and jaunty style generating dozens of hits with Roaring Twenties anthems like "Yes Sir! That's My Baby" and "Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue," though his most popular songs were the ballads "My Blue Heaven" and "Ramona." Compiler/producer Peter Dempsey has included the latter two, as well as the chart-topper "Carolina Moon," in this 25-track retrospective of Austin's recordings between 1925 and 1936. But the selection ...
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During the second half of the '20s, Gene Austin was the most popular singer in the U.S., his airy tenor and jaunty style generating dozens of hits with Roaring Twenties anthems like "Yes Sir! That's My Baby" and "Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue," though his most popular songs were the ballads "My Blue Heaven" and "Ramona." Compiler/producer Peter Dempsey has included the latter two, as well as the chart-topper "Carolina Moon," in this 25-track retrospective of Austin's recordings between 1925 and 1936. But the selection otherwise bears only a coincidental relationship to Austin's biggest hits. Dempsey is at least as interested in Austin's sidemen as in the singer himself, including, for example, such less-popular material as "I've Got a Feeling I'm Falling," composed by Fats Waller, who is also heard on piano, and "A Ghost of a Chance," co-written by Austin's great successor, Bing Crosby, and featuring a backing by the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra. Austin is as effective with such a jazz band accompaniment as he is on "Ev'rything's Made for Love" with only Art Fowler's ukulele behind him. Voice of the Southland gives a well-rounded sense of Austin's talent, but due to the small amount of his material currently available in the digital age, a greater focus on the hits would have been welcome. ~ William Ruhlmann, Rovi
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Add this copy of Voice of the Southland to cart. $3.74, good condition, Sold by Books From California rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Simi Valley, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1997 by Asv Living Era.
Add this copy of The Voice of the Southland [Audio Cd] Austin, Gene to cart. $49.95, like new condition, Sold by Broad Street Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Branchville, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 1997 by ASV Living Era.