13.11.11

Kitty Kallen Country Album (1961)


The Big Band singer who actually had the biggest hit of career a decade earlier with ""Little Things Mean a Lot" turns to country material.


Strings and fiddles don't necessary make Kallen a country singer but she is not as bad as expected - hers is a soft,chirpy voice not better or worse from hundreds of crooning ladies at the time and one gets impression she would be equally mellow and romantic in any other kind of material,be it hawaii music or movie ballads. In fact, Kallen does here what so many other singers did, simply covering famous country hits (Al Martino, Andy Williams, Dean Martin and Connie Francis did exactly the same with similar results - not much personality,not much of original material,standard cover -only LP albums). Because Kallen was soft-voiced pop singer,her version of "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" probably appealed to many who wouldn't care for hard-core country original by Kitty Wells. In fact, listening to her version of "Raining in my heart" reminds me on Skeeter Davis who was successful as a country crossover artist, similar clean-cut approach and any country influence is softened,ironed and presented in a cellophane. Perhaps the material could have been better selected because almost all of these songs are ballads where Kitty Kallen croons gently and there is not much variety - only on a last song ("Hey good looking") she actually wakes up and sounds as she has fun with music, but the chance to record lively and happy album was already missed.

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