Notes and Editorial Reviews
How can this miss: A bountiful collection of Irish evergreens, with a few cover versions of jazz-age American pop tunes (Sonny Boy and All Alone) thrown in the mix, sung by the tenor who did this kind of music better than anyone? If perchance you've never heard John McCormack, you've come to the right disc. The singer's irresistible brogue, amazing, seamless legato, drop-dead perfect intonation, and impeccable diction draw you into a simpler, gentler time. What especially endears me to McCormack's art is the wonderful way he pulls certain phrases a fraction ahead of the beat so that they lilt all the more merrily, like in the Kerry Dance, Sonny Boy, Silver Threads Among the Gold, and Wearing of the Green. The music may border on kitsch, yet
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McCormack invests these chestnuts with immense dignity, conviction, and utter sincerity. These 18 selections span most of McCormack's studio career, from the acoustic era to his final HMV sessions with Gerald Moore. Some collectors may prefer a more non-interventionist transfer philosophy, but David Lennick and Graham Newton's warm and roomy Cedar-ized restorations get my ears a-smiling. Are they saving Danny Boy for Volume 2?
--Jed Distler, ClassicsToday.com Read less
Works on This Recording
1.
The Kerry Dance by Traditional
Performer:
John McCormack (Tenor)
2.
Rose of Tralee by Traditional
Performer:
John McCormack (Tenor)
3.
The garden where the praties grow by Traditional
Performer:
John McCormack (Tenor)
Written: Ireland
4.
I hear you calling me by Traditional
Performer:
John McCormack (Tenor)
5.
Wearin' of the Green by Traditional
Performer:
John McCormack (Tenor)
Written: Ireland
6.
Ireland, mother Ireland by Traditional
Performer:
John McCormack (Tenor)
Written: Ireland
7.
Kathleen Mavourneen by Traditional
Performer:
John McCormack (Tenor)
Period: Romantic
Written: Ireland
8.
A Pair of Blue Eyes by William Kernell
Performer:
John McCormack (Tenor)
Period: 20th Century
Written: by 1930
9.
Silver Threads among the Gold by Hart Pease Danks
Performer:
John McCormack (Tenor)
Written: pub 1873
10.
Roses of Picardy by Haydn Wood
Performer:
John McCormack (Tenor)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1916; England
11.
When Irish Eyes are Smiling by Ernest R. Ball
Performer:
John McCormack (Tenor)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1912; USA
12.
Little Boy Blue by Ethelbert Nevin
Performer:
John McCormack (Tenor)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1891; USA
13.
All Alone by Irving Berlin
Performer:
John McCormack (Tenor)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1924; USA
14.
Indian Love Lyrics (4): no 1, Kashmiri Song "Less than dust" by Amy Woodforde Finden
Performer:
John McCormack (Tenor)
Period: 20th Century
Written: by 1902; England
15.
Macushla, your sweet voice is calling by Dermot Macmurrough
Performer:
John McCormack (Tenor)
Period: Romantic
Written: by 1910; Ireland
16.
Jeannie with the light brown hair by Stephen Foster
Performer:
John McCormack (Tenor)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1854; USA
17.
Just for Today by Blanche Ebert Seaver
Performer:
John McCormack (Tenor)
Period: 20th Century
Sound Samples
The Rose of Tralee: The Rose Of Tralee
A Pair of Blue Eyes: A Pair Of Blue Eyes
The Garden Where The Praties Grow
The Singing Fool: Sonny Boy
Wearing of the Green: Wearing Of The Green
Silver Threads Among the Gold: Silver Threads Among The Gold
Roses of Picardy: Roses Of Picardy
The Isle O' Dreams: When Irish Eyes are Smiling: When Irish Eyes Are Smiling
5 Songs, Op. 12: Little Boy Blue, Op. 12, No. 4
Alexander's Ragtime Band: All Alone
4 Indian Love Lyrics: Kashmiri Song
Jeanine: Jeannine, I Dream Of Lilac Time
Just for Today: Just For Today
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