The Medalist collection Italian American Classics is a great look at some of the best vocal music recorded during the middle of the 20th century, at turns hard-swinging and lushly romantic. Including a couple of tracks each from the heaviest hitters (Dean Martin, Lou Monte, Louis Prima), the compilation also rates high by featuring several of the first choices for the subject: "O Sole Mio" by Mario Lanza, "Santa Lucia" by Jerry Vale, and "Volare" by Domenico Modugno. Even some of the selections farther afield ("Mack the Knife" by Bobby Darin, "Come on-a My House" by Rosemary Clooney) sound perfect in this context, and the addition of the crazy novelty "Pepino the Italian Mouse" (by Lou Monte) is a hilarious touch. The final track, "Nessun Dorma" (from Puccini's Turandot), turns out to be a taster for a forthcoming Medalist release from a younger Italian-American tenor, Michael Amante, and he definitely holds his own among the raft of famous voices included herein. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide