Negative Positive
Title: Disappointing Mercer
Review: As a huge Johnny Mercer fan, I was looking forward to this outing with jazz players, but it's a strange mixed bag. No recording dates are given, but the quality of sound varies as do the instrumental accompaniments. The most satisfying tracks are the duets with Helen O'Connell ("Accentuate the Positive" & Two of a Kind") & oddly enough, Bobby Troup ("Jamboree Jones") whose presence suggests that perhaps his piano and group are providing at least some, if not all of the backings. Mercer does not sing "Moon River" or "Autumn Leaves" leaving these lyrics to O'Connell alone. His solos here often seem tired and lackluster rather than just laid-back. There are much better versions of Mercer's solo tunes available - the originals on Capitol's "Collector's Series" for example. The Mosaic set referenced by another reviewer appears to be instrumental settings by Al Cohn - at least that's all I heard on Amazon's samples. But then, it's hard to have too much Johnny Mercer in any format!
Is the review positive or negative? 