AMG Review of On the Air

Ken Dryden
All Music Guide

Rosemary Clooney went through a lot of ups and downs in her career, including a difficult marriage to actor José Ferrer, addiction to pills, depression, and the fickle nature of the record industry. But she is in top form throughout these performances recorded for radio transcriptions during the early and late '50s. Clooney's confident vocals demonstrate her mastery of timing and conveying emotion without overdoing it, backed by a competent studio orchestra. The arrangements occasionally show jazz touches and brief instrumental solos, though most fall into a middle-of-the-road '50s pop setting, though there's nothing dull or dated about Clooney's singing, highlighted by her breezy "This Can't Be Love" and sincere "As Long as I Live." No information is provided about the arrangers or musicians, though all but the last two tracks find her backed by the Earl Shelton Orchestra, with the last two featuring Buddy Cole. [Acrobat's somewhat streamlined 18-track edition appeared in 2008 with alternate album art.]