Buddy Greco - Movin' On (1973/2022)

Buddy Greco started working with Benny Goodman when he was 22, made his first album on his own in 1949, and he's still going strong, if this album is any indication. Tracks on this release by USA Music Group come from earlier releases, such as the 1973 album Movin' On, Hot Nights from 1982, and a 1984 disc, Ready for Your Love. Some of the cuts here were made more than 30 years after his recording debut and show he has lost little in the strength of his voice but nothing in the way he delivers a song. Greco is backed by a big band on such tunes as on "Teach Me Tonight," with some good sax by Kim Richmond, and "Ready for Your Love." "Me and Mrs. Jones" and others are backed by a group headed by Alf Clausen with electronically generated strings and Greco at the synthesizer. And still others have Greco with a bevy of background singers. Irrespective of the backing and the source of the material, it does nothing but enhance Greco's reputation as one of the most versatile singers in the history of pop music, perhaps only surpassed in this category by Bing Crosby. He was equally adept and successful with jazz, country, pop, and soft rock. In addition to "Teach Me Tonight," this album has other Greco classics, including "Touch Me in the Morning," "You Better Go Now," and his swinging rendition of "It's Magic." This retrospective release featuring one of the more active and long-lasting of American pop singers is recommended.