AMG Review of 70: A Seventieth Birthday Celebration

Scott Yanow
All Music Guide

This is an OK sampler celebrating both singer Rosemary Clooney's 70th birthday and her 20th year associated with the Concord label. Only two of the 19 songs are new, and these are among the weakest numbers on the set: a nostalgic "Secret of Life" and a version of "Our Love Is Here to Stay" that for no particular reason has guest vocals by Linda Ronstadt and k.d. lang. Otherwise, there is one song apiece from 17 of Clooney's 23 Concord sets, with contributions by tenor saxophonist Scott Hamilton, cornetist Warren Vache, the Los Angeles Jazz Choir, guitarist Ed Bickert (featured on a duet version of "One for My Baby"), the Woody Herman Orchestra ("I'm Beginning to See the Light"), guitarist John Pizzarelli (who sings on "It's Only a Paper Moon"), and actor Keith Carradine, who is heard on "Turn Around." Although reasonably successful as a sampler, this somewhat randomly programmed release is a bit of a frivolity when one considers that all of Clooney's releases (most of which are easily recommended) are readily available.