AmericanTheaterWeb Original News & Reviews

Tony DeSare –Radio Show
(www.Telarc.com)

"Dreamy." It's not a word that's used much these days. Still it is probably one of the most evocative words I know for describing this sumptuous new disc from DeSare. The singer's smooth vocals on both standards and his original compositions are the sort that might have sent women swooning in the 1950s and early 1960s.

The concept for the disc is really quite clever and gives DeSare the chance to demonstrate his versatility. Tracks are introduced by DJs from radio stations of various formats, so while one's listening, it's almost like having a radio tuner being switched. Thus, "Bizarre Love Triangle," a seductive cocktail music-like duet with Jane Monheit, is found on a jazz "station." It's followed by another song in this vein, "All or Nothing at All" before DeSare moves onto a buoyant rendition of Hoagy Carmichael's "Lazy River."

Perhaps the most effective distinctive and intriguing sequences on the disc comes when the honky-tonk of "Johnny B Goode," which DeSare delivers with electrifying speed and intensity, is followed by Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A'Changin'," where DeSare's delicacy and intelligent phrasing poignantly enhance the power of this folk anthem.

DeSare's own compositions seamlessly fit into the standards on the disc, so much so that I was surprised to find that one tune, "A Little Bit Closer," had been penned by the singer and wasn't a long forgotten gem from the 1940s. Toward the end of this consistently satisfying disc, DeSare offers another original song, "Dreaming My Life Away," a waltz that almost sounds as if it might come from a century ago. It's a melancholy rumination on lost love with a melody that floats out into the ether, and yes, it's also sort of "dreamy."

-- Andy Propst