Yvonne De Carlo

Actress Yvonne De Carlo cut this album at the end of the '50s under the musical direction of Johnny Williams (aka John Williams, the future film music master). The results are decidedly uneven, though ultimately not unpleasant -- the first three songs show off Williams' accompaniment more successfully than De Carlo's singing, which lacks any real attractiveness or expressiveness on those songs. And then, suddenly, with "Am I Blue" she comes to life as a singer; "Little Girl Blue" -- which features a beautiful accompanying performance on piano (probably played by Williams) with light orchestration -- and "Blue Moon" offer some surprising pleasures as well in her finely nuanced singing, and De Carlo finds even greater inspiration in "But Not for Me" (where Williams' accompaniment may be too upfront) and "Mood Indigo." Additionally, "My Blue Heaven" sounds absolutely fresh in her hands. And on "One for My Baby" she doesn't even sound like the same singer, delivering a hard, dark performance matched perfectly by Williams' understated accompaniment. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi