AMG Review of Best of Martin Denny's Exotica

Al Campbell
All Music Guide

Since the mid-'90s resurgence of easy listening or space age bachelor pad music, the majority of both original LPs and compilations by the pioneers of the genre -- Esquivel, Les Baxter, Arthur Lyman, and Martin Denny -- saw a glut of reissues, both good and bad. Unfortunately, the best of those discs aren't as easy to find some ten years later as they once were, making this 2006 compilation a welcome arrival. The 19 tracks on The Best of Martin Denny's Exotica are original recordings from his late-'50s/early-'60s Liberty albums and include the hits "Exotica," the Les Baxter-penned "Quiet Village," "Hypnotique," "Jungle Drums," and "The Enchanted Isle." Also of special interest is a previously unreleased five-minute interview with Denny and heartfelt liner notes penned by his daughter Christina. This is an enjoyable sampler courtesy of Capitol's recurring Ultra Lounge series.