Recorded in 1961 in London, England. Originally released on Verve (8440). Includes original LP liner notes by Leonard Feather.
Digitally remastered by Corn Dog (Universal Mastering Studios-East).
This is part of Verve's By Request series.
Personnel: Mel Torm‚ (vocals, drums); Tony Osborne (vocals).
Recording information: London, England (07/18/1961-07/21/1961).
Arranger: Wally Scott.
If Verve needed a concept for Mel Torm‚'s last album on the label, there were certainly a few available. For one thing, My Kind of Music features five of Torm‚'s own songs, including chestnuts like "The Christmas Song," "A Stranger in Town," and "County Fair," as well as lesser-knowns like "Welcome to the Club." The other half-dozen compositions are by the underrated songwriting team of Howard Dietz and Arthur Schwartz, creators of the '50s Broadway hit The Bandwagon. Though they're rarely spoken of in the same breath as Rodgers & Hammerstein or Lerner & Loewe -- could it have anything to do with the lack of smoothness in pronouncing their names? -- Dietz and Schwartz wrote many standards, including "You and the Night and the Music," "I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan," "Dancing in the Dark," and "By Myself." Also, My Kind of Music was the second LP Torm‚ recorded in Britain, the home of his most devoted audiences. The mellow arrangements -- by Brits Wally Stott, Geoff Love, and Tony Osborne -- wrapped Torm‚ in soft strings, but also allowed for many individual voices, including guitar and trumpet. It's a style of arranging that perfectly suited Torm‚'s growing inclination toward breezy, contemplative adult-pop during the '60s. And Stott's arrangement for the musically varied six-minute showtune "County Fair" captured a quintessentially American musical composition with flair. Call it whatever you want -- Torm‚ Sings Torm‚, Torm‚ Sings Dietz & Schwartz, Torm‚ in London -- but My Kind of Music is a solid album that only suffers in comparison to his masterpieces of the previous few years. ~ John Bush
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