Swingin' Down Yonder

AMG Review of Swingin' Down Yonder

William Ruhlmann
All Music Guide

Dean Martin sounds unusually engaged on his first 12" LP to be recorded as such, a concept album of songs relating to the South and recorded in Dixieland style. Always stimulated by good material (when he could get it) that showcased his flair for the lighthearted, Martin essays songs associated with such predecessors as Louis Armstrong, Al Jolson and Bing Crosby, and he is surprisingly credible in such company, maybe because he knew songs like "When It's Sleepy Time Down South" and "Way Down Yonder In New Orleans" thoroughly and got a kick out of singing them. This is even true of the fruitier material, such as "Mississippi Mud" and "Alabamy Bound," making them almost acceptable, and of songs that have weathered better, such as "Georgia on My Mind." On the whole, this is an excellent thematic collection that is convincingly sung. (Swingin' Down Yonder was reissued on CD in 1991 with eight bonus tracks, all of them from singles recorded and released between 1950 and 1952. They were songs in the same vein, such as "Muskrat Ramble" and "Bye Bye Blackbird," also in Dixieland arrangements, and were equally well-performed.)