Don't Go To Strangers/Softly As I Leave You

This is my 2nd review of these masterpieces! The other one was for the out of stock version! So, I'm writing another version for the in stock. I thought that these 2 as lps were the greatest torch albums ever! I still thinking that for the 2-4-1 cd. Artist, song, & arrangement combinations have never been surpassed, at least, in my lp & cd collections. Eydie magnificently sings every song! While the background music may sound occasionally strained because of the 60s style, her voice sounds richer & fuller on this cd. That must be because of modern technology. The songs are similar but still different from each other. Each one has an intelligent conversational plot line that's lacking in today's music. My version doesn't have composer information which every serious Americcan Songbook devotee needs. I must mention some of the songs. Eydie got the best female vocalist GRAMMY for IF HE WALKED INTO MY LIFE! The injustice here is that she didn't win for the entire DON'T GO TO STRANGERS album. The song, WHAT DID I HAVE THAT I DON'T HAVE is equally great! Although the 2 torchers are the closest to each other than any other 2 on the cd, & Gorme does use the same technique of alternatively belting & caressing; she makes each an unique treasure. The out & out belters (WHAT IS A WOMAN & I WANNA BE AROUND) are done as only Eydie could: vibrant, pulse-quickening, & positively demonstrative. I always laughed when Springstein was called THE BOSS when it's clear that GORME was in charge of each and every track here. The orchestra enchance her, not the reverse. Her "softer times", I WISH YOU LOVE, WHAT'S GOOD ABOUT GOODBYE) are other singers' "louder times". That is a compliment. E.G. knew how to be commanding but still artistic. Her voice was so strong, wide ranging, and on key that in difficult passges Eydie still stayed vibrantly on key.

I always wished that fans of easy listening and or the Great Amercian song book would love Eydie Gorme's voice as much as I do. I took 10 years to realize her fabulous talent. She is just the best! Known to be one of the happiest married women in show business, she can still belt the torch songs better than anyone. Take any classic she did & comapre it to other versions. Hers is simply the best. In this 2 album reissue Eydie chose many fabulous songs that were unkown to me at that time. Some had an connection to her: Guess I Should Have Loved Him More, Tell Him I Said Hello, & When He Leaves You. I doubt if any were top 10 hits. I wish I know how well this sold but I suspect these 2 may have been her best sellers! Here she did the Barbra Streisand route of doing just enough moderately known songs with the completely unkown. The difference is that Eydie had at that time a better range. Both gals could belt, purr, sob, & jest. Don't & Softly do stand up today. Eydie won the Grammy for If She Walked Into My Life but should have for the entire Don't Go To Stangers album. Heck, she should have won a year later for Softly As I Leave You set.

Here are two of Eydie's finest albums on one CD. Hands-down, no arguments. Paired up with long time friend and one of the world's best arranger/conductors, Don Costa, Eydie was in her prime here, belting her way through broadway tunes and hit songs of the day. Gorme fans have been yearning for such stellar and definitive readings as Eydie's WHAT DID I HAVE I DON'T HAVE NOW and the heartwrenching IF HE WALKED INTO MY LIFE to finally make a compact disc, and the wait is over. Eydie's vocals, framed by Costa's dramatic brass and strings are what most female vocalists only can dream of. But no need for despair, besides some real tearjerkers there are some fun moments as well! Take, for instance, the romp Eydie makes of the Tony Bennett hit I WANNA BE AROUND. Great arranging by Don Costa and the soaring vocals by Eydie make one thing maybe breakin' up aint so hard to do! This is the first of the Eydie Gorme masterpieces to be released on CD, others are following after years on a shelf. Finally these rare Columbia sides are coming to see the light of day; and there are more to follow. Do yourself a favor, indulge a little, even if you've never owned an Eydie Gorme album, this would be an excellent place to start. You will thoroughly enjoy this collection from one of the greatest female vocalists ever.