Nice One Ronnie

In the days before my wife and I took a running jump onto the property ladder, and promptly hung on for dear life, we were insanely lucky to spend 5 years residing in Hampstead, London, literally seconds from the beautiful Hampstead Heath. Occasionally I would spy a very dapper gentleman strolling around this delicatessen dotted district, and was reliably informed by the local gossip that it was none other than singer Ronnie Carroll. The name didn't register, until I came upon this record a few weeks ago, in one of my regular charity shop rummages and at last I became acquainted with the stylish and eclectic talents of the man himself.

Ring-A-Ding Girl All a bit too camp for me, perfect then, when it comes to light that this was the UK entry for the 1962 Eurovison Song Contest. The singer is clearly worthy of weightier fare than this damp sponge pudding.

Speak Once shades of Nat King Cole and Matt Monroe, sensitive phrasing, and a well measured vibrato gracing the higher notes. Fine electric guitar coda. Presumably the songwriting credit "Carroll/Keyes" testifies that our boy is more than just a pretty face. Strong material.

Roses Are Red straying a little too far into cabaret material here for my taste, skillful Floyd Cramer influenced piano though.

Chain Gang a fine tribute to the genius Sam Cooke, and a bit of a revelation to hear Ronnie allowed to stretch out with something a tad cooler than the former track.

Mary Rose More MOR cabaret, tenderly sung however.

I Am .....a stunning vocal performance, and everything about this cries "class."

Side 2

Say Wonderful Things Another Eurovison candidate, this time from 1963 and the title of this collection. I can't help but feel once again though, that some of this material just isn't quite up to the abilities of the singer. Pleasant, but certainly not in my top 500.

Shiftin' Sands Of Time a far more rewarding listening experience, a warm and intimate vocal, and tastefully arranged track. Beautiful vocal finale from Mr Carroll.

Dear Heart a Mancini tune, though the way it's presented here, it would have sounded old fashioned in the 1850s. Nice, but candy floss= unsubstantial and makes your teeth feel weird after ingesting.

The Girls In Their Summer Dresses Much more fun, a bit Dean Martin here and there in the sly, wry, swoony delivery. One of the strongest cuts on the album, clever lyrics, and a cool treatsie on perving on the street corner.

Endlessly A nice change of pace, an almost soul- ballad vibe, (not surprising when the song's composer is the great Brook Benton) embellished or ruined depending on your mood, with some Bacharach infused mariachi trumpets. In fact the backing track could have been stolen from Gene Pitney's cutting room floor.

Without Love More gospel/soul ballad territory. Perhaps everything is a bit too well mannered here, I sense the arrangement is forcing Ronnie to keep from really letting rip. Which is a shame, but still a fine closer to a nifty sampler of Ronnie Carroll's work.

And so I leave the listening cave, to type up this report, ever humbly serving my fellow vinyl surfers...

Details:

Artist: Ronnie Carroll

Album: Wonderful Things And Other Favourites

Label: Wing/Philips WL 1108

Year: 1967